18th century education

18th Century History of United States Education

Gabby Mohr

Benjamin Franklin 1706-1790

• Founded the Library Company of Philadelphia 1731
• Philosopher and Inventer
• Played a large role in development in our traditional math, reading and history
• Proposed adding customs and commerce into how we teach history

Thomas Jefferson 1743-1826

• Author of the Declaration of Independence
• 3rd President 1801-1809
• Established the Universty of Virginia (UVA) - unfortunately died 1 year after his university was established
• Wanted those that Governed to be able to read
• Believed "Only through education could people preserve freedom and promote their own happiness"

Noah Webster 1758-1843

• Reshaped english language & literature to make it America's own
• Believed the US needed to be independent politically & culturally
• Made Webster's American Spelling Book
• Believed in FREE education for both girls and boys
• Thought women should be educated because they are a childs first teacher

18th Century American Schools

• 1751 Franklin established Franklin Academy
• Private Academies were started- Designed to teach trade, business, and to meet intellectual and economic needs
• Town Schools- for whole communities- still only had basic class such as reading and math
• 1779 Jefferson proposed Virgina Bill- did not pass but raised awareness
• 1770 Quakers in Philadelphia created a school that was more inclusive it included boys, girls, African American & Native Americans
• 1783- Noah Webster's 'American Spelling Book'
• Colleges established included: Yale 1701, Darthmouth 1769, Univ. of Pennsylvania 1753, Brown 1764
• Popular degrees included: law, medicine, and commerce

18th Century Teachers

• Even back then many teachers were under valued
• Loeper wrote 'Going to school in 1776' it talked about some teachers had to plow fields and do mental tasks in the summers to support being a teacher in winter
• One woman named Mistress Robins was 17-she was hired as the teacher because she could read the old testament without stumbling over words. Once she had the job they made her care for the school as well. She was threatened and treated poorly by male students. Also had to live with families of the students which was known as "to board 'round"

Education as a Priority

• Northwest Land Ordiance of 1787- boosted a priority of education- "which divided federally owned wildnerness land into townships and required building of schools"
• U.S. Constitution ratified in 1788 did not directly mention education however..
• tenth ammendment says "the power delegated to the United States by the constitution, not prohibited by it to the states, and reserved to the states respectively, or to the people" which means states deal with education independently besides a few federal mandates