Colonial American Educational Practices
America prides itself on the fact that every child in this nation is entitled to a free and well rounded education. This was not always the case. The establishment of schooling systems within America, was an evolutionary process. Each region in the country began with a system which suited them, whether that meant that children only learned what was necessary for survival or just basic reading and writing. Eventually, America began to realize that its children needed to educated. It then became a public issue, and the emergence of institutionalized learning centers originated. This still did not ensure that all children were educated, especially when it came to girls. Up until the aftermath of the American Revolution, education for girls was not a priority and not deemed very important. Only with the new ideology that emerged from that war, did the amendment of women's educational rights become considerable. Very few colonial children received formal educations in the early years. "As members of the family workforce, children were vocational apprentices of the parent of their own sex: fathers trained sons in agriculture or in the family trade, while mothers taught housewifery to their girls." Children were to be prepared
If parents were small farmers, they might have sent their children to be educated in "Old Field Schools. Strict definitions of the appropriate social roles for women were still in existence especially in the south. At this time, New England was the only place to establish education as mandatory and as a public function. Education would change along with the country, because of the American Revolution. Latin was the language used in higher education, so omitting this language from the girls curriculum ensured the fact that women did not attend college. The attitude that prevailed, consisted of the idea that book learning, as a part of educational preparation for those headed for a career in the family trade or for girls destined to be housewives, was audacious, although this form of learning may have been present. Educational institutions, whether like the ones in existence today or not, were available in colonial times. In a sense, New England was the pioneer of the current schooling system in the USA. It is also clear that girls were the last to be educated during this time. However, was the male everyday life experience less important? Did it give them more time to learn reading and writing? The answer is no, to each child in colonial society, regardless of gender, experience was greatly important in order to ensure future survival. Most of the middle colony settlers belonged to a religious group, thereby granting them education of some sort through their church, even if they could not attend a private school. Whereas in the North that view was supplemented by the practical commitment to educating young women for careers in teaching. This practice, most common in New England became known as Dame schooling. Education was a family and church responsibility in the middle colonies, and due to the variety of religious and national groups in this region, any attempts at public schooling were quickly laid to rest. Whether intentional or not, this became a kind of propaganda to gain more access to education.
Common topics in this essay:
American Revolution,
Benjamin Rush,
Deluder Act,
Latin Latin,
Field Schools,
England Dame,
Governor Berkeley,
America Overall,
Colonial America,
,
reading writing,
private schools,
american revolution,
women's education,
children educated,
social class,
schools schools,
everyday life,
middle colonies,
basic reading writing,
teach children,
reading writing skills,
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