The value orientation of moraleducation stipulates its practice and developmentThe moral education in the United States generally has two value orientations:

authority and autonomyThe former based on the Protestantism, it considered teaching religious morality and patriotism as the core, “teachingacceptance” logic as the principle, and the mandatory infusion as the main methodTo a large extent, this orientation shaped the traditional patterns of moral education in the United States from the colonial period to the 19th centuryThe latter based on the scientific spirit and democratic principles, it recognized and respected the right of individual moral choices, and focused on guiding students to generate the ability of independent moral reasoning and judgmentThis orientation almost dominated the development of modern moral education in the United States in the 20th centuryBut since the 21st century, through the critical reflection on the traditional and modern models of moral education, more and more scholars have realized that the two orientations should not be separated completely, in contrast, the development of moral education should be promoted in the process of the mutual integration of the two orientations