EDUCATION IN AMERICA

ERA: 1754 -1800

• 1754-1763: The French and Indian War
• 1775-1783: The Revolutionary War
• 1800: Thomas Jefferson is elected President

THEME: IDEAS, BELIEF, AND CULTURE

Specifically how the emerging identity of America and democratic ideals forged new cultural movements

SKILL: CONTINUITY AND CHANGE

To analyze and evaluate historical patterns of continuity and change and connect the corresponding patterns to a larger historical process or theme

SCHOOLS IN NEW ENGLAND

• Before 1754 small schools existed that were nearly all male
• Later in the 1700s, one room schools became popular
• These included children of all aged and one teacher
• These "common schools" were under heavy Puritan influence
• They were publicly available by town, but with a tuition fee

NEW ENGLAND CONTINUED

• Public grammar schools became popular in larger towns
• Private academies succeeded over grammar schools post 1780
• Elite private schools began to open towards the end of the century
• These schools still had puritain influences and were mostly male
• The school you attended reflected your status

Untitled Slide

THE SOUTH

• Plantation owners hired private tutors for their sons
• Some boys were sent to England or private academies
• Most poor families home schooled their children
• By 1770 Georgia only had about 10 public schools
• Poor kids in Virginia were taught at their local church

THE POST REVOLUTIONARY SOUTH

• Georgia and South Carolina put funding into public universities
• Elementary schools became more common for some white boys
• Most children still do not receive an education past 8th grade
• High schools were still only available privately to rich children

EDUCATION FOR WOMEN

• In 1767 New England started funding schooling for girls
• These taxes were optional, so rich towns did not support them
• In areas without schools for girls, few girls were able to write
• Most girls still could read, particularly for religion
• Philadelphia supported full education of women by 1770

TEXTBOOKS

• The New England Primer was the primary textbook until 1790
• It focused on Puritan properties and how to relate life to god
• It taught basic reading lessons infused with moral values
• There were a limited number of textbooks in the south

TEXTBOOKS CONTINUED

• "The Blue Backed Speller" replaced The New England Primer in 1790
• This book progressed in difficulty as the learner gets older
• This book became wildly popular, even without religious influence
• Written by Noah Webster, who later writes the first American dictionary