This Quaqua website cannot provide a comprehensive history of alternative education and parental liberty. Nevertheless, a brief historical overview is helpful for those who wish to appreciate the richness of the heritage of the alternative-education and parental liberty movements. This overview is separated into ten parts.

Part One discusses the evolution and dissemination of the venerable Parental Liberty Doctrine, from ancient times until the present day.

Part Two discusses Benjamin Franklin, who was the First American, a world statesman, and America's most influential Framer. His life also epitomized the contributions and lifestyle of home educators during early America.

Part Three discusses the Madisonian explanation of educational history. James Madison, like Benjamin Franklin, was a home-educated Framer of the United States Constitution.

Part Four discusses Plato's Ideal Commonwealth. Home-educated Thomas Jefferson, along with other Founders and Framers of the United States such as John Adams and James Madison, rejected Platonic concepts. Understanding what Ordered Liberty does not entail powerfully informs our understanding of what rights are affirmatively protected by the United States Constitution.

Part Five discusses the Jacksonian Paradigm. President Andrew Jackson developed the political approach used in the United States to deny parental rights and impose compulsory government education.

Part Six discusses the History of Alternative Education in the United States. Alternative education as we know it today exists as the net result of many historical forces.

Part Seven discusses the creation of the Quaqua Society. Quaqua celebrates a new millennium for alternative educators, all the more promising after a landmark United States Supreme Court decision, Troxel v. Granville.

Part Eight lists Prominent Individuals who were home-educated for a significant portion of their lives. The list focuses on individuals living in the last two hundred years, since home education was the rule rather than the exception for leading figures of earlier times.

Part Nine is a Gallery of United States Court Cases which are, for various reasons, of great legal or historical significance to alternative educators. Links to additional Legal Resources are also available.

Part Ten provides an Index of all Quaqua website pages dealing with alternative education law and history, including sidebar pages reached by linking through the pages above.

One additional page is available to help alternative educators learn about their collective heritage and history. The Elijah Award page commemorates the accomplishments of individuals who have made a notable contribution to alternative education.

This brief historical overview (including its constituent parts) was not written by a professional historian. Although it contains many original ideas, it is not intended to serve as a work of wholly original scholarship, nor is it an exhaustively-documented scholarly historical account. However, much of the information is derived from academic research completed by Daniel E. Witte from 1990 - 1998 for his various college projects, law review articles and thesis papers.

This overview does not constitute an official position or representation of Quaqua, and no person is required to agree with the historical overview in order to participate in Quaqua or make use of Quaqua services. The sole purpose of this historical overview is to educate the reader about general facts and point the reader to new avenues for personal inquiry.

Quaqua does, however, value accuracy and fairness, and an effort has been made to confirm the asserted facts with multiple sources. Suggestions and corrections for the historical overview will be appreciated and carefully considered.