History of American Education
The American Colonial Period of Education
The American education system has evolved since its colonial period between 1600 and 1776. The period is referred to as the American Colonial Period of education. Europeans migrated to the United States for different reasons. For instance, economic opportunities, religious freedom, and seeking adventures. The education opportunities were varied, just like the reasons for migration. Initially, children were home-schooled by their parents, mainly regarding basic reading and arithmetic skills. Schools were, however, only available in well populated areas once they were established. The schools that were established in this period were elementary grades and universities and colleges, like Harvard University.
Religious groups in the New England colonies had interest in education because they valued the ability of reading the Bible. The Quakers, in the middle colonies, believed that everyone should be educated, and they should tolerate other people’s religious beliefs. In the southern colonies, boys were home-schooled by tutors. Slaves, especially girls, were taught skills that would be beneficial to their owners. Dame schools, on the other hand, was open to boys and girls, and they were taught by women in their homes.
In that period, teachers ranked second to religious leaders in importance. They were expected to make the community a better place through participation in church activities and community issues. These roles were exclusively open to men; they could not drink, smoke, date, or marry. Teaching was focussed on basic reading, writing, math, and religion. The boys had the opportunity to study astronomy and advanced math, while girls studied literature and poetry. Educators like Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson shaped the education system to what it is today. Franklin introduced the public school system to accommodate everyone. Jefferson established the University of Virginia
Old Deluder Satan Law
The Act ensured that education was carried from one generation to the next. The document stated that Satan, the old deluder, worked towards keeping men from the Knowledge of the scriptures. Satan clouded and deceived men using an unknown tongue. Hence the Old Deluder Satan Law was passed in Massachusetts in 1647. The Court ordered that all towns of 50 or more families should appoint one of them to teach the children in that township to read and write. In other words, these families should provide an elementary school where teachers taught the children how to read and write; they were also required to teach them the Bible as well.
The Court also ordered that towns that had 100 or more families should set up a grammar school. They should instruct the youth so that they were ready for University. If any town failed to meet these terms, they would pay five pounds per annum until they performed the order. These schools focussed on Latin and Greek. The puritans believed that their children would resist temptation and sin if they read and studied the Bible enough. They also wanted to avoid having a generation of poor and unintelligent people hence they made sure that everyone got an education.
How the Close of the Revolutionary War Changed the History of the American Education
After the Revolutionary War, the education system in the United States shifted. The Constitution did not, however, document any educational clauses, hence court cases based on unconstitutional practices in education rose. Ultimately, the community realized that it needed education to bind them. Thomas Jefferson made significant changes in the education system by extending the education boundaries beyond the elites in the society. He believed that the government should educate the citizens so that they could take part in governmental affairs. He established the University of Virginia. He also proposed the More General Diffusion of Knowledge Bill in 1779, which stated the plans put in place for the education of the children in Virginia. The Bill identified academic excellence over social standing or wealth.
The father of Atlantic Abolitionism, Anthony Benezet, championed for the education of the African Americans in 1773. Subsequently, in 1787, the African Free School was established in New York City to educate freed slaves. Noah Webster developed a common American language between 1758 and 1843 to create an identity separate from the Great Britain. He wrote the American Spelling Book that sold over 100 million copies in the history of American education.
The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution made significant changes in the education system. The Land Ordinance Act of 1785 encouraged education as a necessary factor for good government and happiness of the mankind. The Northwest Ordinance in 1787 divided the North West territories into 36 sections; one of the sections was set aside for public schools. The developments made in the education system after the Revolutionary War played a vital role in the state of the education in the United States today.
An Historical Introduction to American Education
The leaders of the American Revolution believed that self-governing citizens needed education to function and spread to future generations. After gaining independence from the Great Britain, the United States had to construct a new nation out of 13 colonies, separate from Britain. The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union held the separate colonies together. Later, the Congress authorized the draft of the Constitution for the United States. The states finally developed their own education systems. For instance, the New England states had the controlled town and district schools and the Latin grammar schools, and the Middle Atlantic States established church-related schools.
Educators made a significant change in the education system. Benjamin Franklin developed a plan for English as the principal language in schools and encouraged the improvement of the education system in the United States. Thomas Jefferson, on the other hand, established elementary and secondary schools in Virginia. He subsequently founded the University of Virginia. Benjamin Rush believed that Christianity had a role in the new republic and the established schools. Noah Webster gave textbooks a role in the United States schools. These educators worked together to improve the education system in the United States.