-
The Establishment of Education
As you know, the Puritans were a part of the second wave of colonists that came to the Americas in the 1620s. England saw this group of colonies as permanent, self-sustaining communities. As such, they became a vehicle of advancing English ideas, customs, language, law, and literature. Even after becoming an independent entity, the United States kept a lot of these customs. -
Northern Colonies
In the Northern colonies, Puritans began moving the education out of homes and into schools. In fact, in 1647 they decided that towns with 50+ households had to appoint and pay a teacher to instruct reading and writing. All towns with 100+ households had to go above and beyond that by also providing grammar schools, or other preparatory institutions to ready students for University. Much like today, larger cities had more opportunities for learning and-as time went on often multiple schools. -
Middle Colonies
Moving south to the middle colonies, we see the first group to pursue open enrollment. The Quakers on insisting all children, regardless of gender and/race. The curriculum tended to focus on practical applications such as vocational training, agricultural, and specific crafts. This hadn’t changed for nearly 200 years, and many schools still hold courses and extracurricular activities based on their subjects. -
Government Begins Sponsoring Higher Learning
About 120 years later, Ohio makes history by not being the oldest college in the United States, but the first to be sponsored by the state. This has led to a new school being opened in every new state since then. The first Public High school originated in Boston 19 years later, because before this time not all colleges had required that students received an advanced education after primary school. -
Period: to
Government Begins Sponsoring Higher Learning
About 120 years later, Ohio makes history by not being the oldest college in the United States, but the first to be sponsored by the state. This has led to a new school being opened in every new state since then. The first Public High school originated in Boston 19 years later, because before this time not all colleges had required that students received an advanced education after primary school. -
Equality in Education
inally, Congress publicly decides (through the Brown vs Board of Education) that that “separate, but equal” is “inherently unequal”. Doesn’t that sound like what the Quakers had said nearly 300 years prior? Regardless, from this point on students could go to the schools in their neighborhood no matter their gender, creed, or colour.
