Schooling In Colonial America2008

Schooling in Colonial America

1600-1800

The Purpose of Education

Do the claims of the Do the claims of the Functionalist and Functionalist and Conflict Theorists hold Conflict Theorists hold true historically?true historically? The purpose of

American education is not stable-it is changed over time

The dominant purpose of American education is always contested

Harvard 1726

The Purpose of Education

The Functionalist The Functionalist ClaimClaim The purpose(s) of

education are functional- that is they serve a social functionfunction

The Conflict Theorist The Conflict Theorist ClaimClaim American education

has tended to reproduce social inequities, not eliminate them. Harvard 1726

Education was neither free, public, nor secular in the Colonies

Educational opportunities were stratified Class Gender Race

Education served to retain the status quo Children were educated to

take their parent’s place in society

Tension American ideal of equal

opportunity for all

Southern Colonies

A sharply defined class structure

Dispersed population Anglican church did

not put an emphasis on religious indoctrination

Belief that education was a private matter and not the concern of the state

Middle Colonies

A diverse population English, Dutch, German,

French, Swedish Catholics, Mennonites,

Calvinists, Lutherans, Quakers, Presbyterians, Jews

Commercial interests An emphasis on

vocational education

Northern Colonies

A fairly uniform population

Puritan New England “Children are vipers

and infinitely more hateful than vipers.”

Jonathan Edwards The “construction” of

Childhood Centuries of Childhood

Phillippe Aries

The Construction of Childhood

For the Puritans, Children were miniature adults

Born in sin, they were vulnerable to Satan’s ploys

Thus, they need to be closely monitored

The Construction of Childhood

The Mason children The boy holds a

walking cane and gloves

One girl holds a fan The other holds a

rose

The Construction of Childhood

Families of 16-25 children were common

The Construction of Childhood

High child mortality led to more “objectification” than today

The Construction of Childhood

By the mid-19th century, childhood began to be thought of as a unique time in life.

“Adolescence” had not yet been invented, however.

The Emergence of Higher Education

Harvard College The purpose was to

prepare young men, 13-18, in Biblical and classical studies

The goal was to produce a new generation to assume leadership in the church and commonwealth

The first Colleges in the Colonies

Harvard Yale William & Mary New Jersey (Princeton) King’s (Columbia) Philadelphia Rhode Island (Brown) Queen’s (Rutgers) Dartmouth

College Life

Greek, Latin, Scripture

Moral development was as important as intellectual development

College was a “rite of passage” for colonial gentlemen.

“Caning” at Harvard

Colonial Schooling

Private Tutors Dame Schools Grammar School Mission or Charity

School Private Academies College

Dame Schools

Taught by women in their homes

Open to girls Colonial “Day Care”

Education For The Wealthy

Private tutor

Grammar school

Academy

College

What was a colonial education like?

One-room log or clapboard cabins

Students aged 3-20

Teachers would “cite,” students would “re-cite.”

Corporal punishment

What was a colonial education like?

One-room log or clapboard cabins

Students aged 3-20

Teachers would “cite,” students would “re-cite.”

Corporal punishment

Hornbook

Paddle shaped board with paper sheet attached

Usually contained the ABC's in both small and capital letters

Some Scripture

Hornbook

They had been used in Europe

There use continued in the colonies because printed books and pamphlets were harder to come by.

New England Primer

Calvinist Theology

Combined hornbook with authorized catechism

Secular materials

Almanacs Franklin’s

“Poor Richard’s Almanack”

Chapbooks Most imported from

England