American Elementary Schools in the mid-1800s
Backin1854,schooloutonthefrontierwasdifferentfromtoday.Theschoolsonlyhad
oneroomandallthekidsweretaughttogether.ThechildrendidnotstartschoolinSeptember,
either.Thefalltimewasharvesttimeandkidshadtopickapples,huskcorn,carrywater,and
cookforthemenworkinginthefields.Theyalsogatheredfirewoodandhelpedpreservethe
fruitsandvegetables.ChildrenworkeduntilNovemberwhentheharvestwasoverandthen
theywenttoschool.Schoolswereonlyopeninthewinterandsummer.Thechildrenhadto
plantandplowinthespringandhelpharvestinthefall.Theolderboysoftendidn'tgoto
schoolinthesummerbecauseoffarmwork.Sometimesinthewinter,theboysstayedhome
andworkedonthefarm,also.
Studentsofallageswereinthesameclass.Someoftheyoungerstudentswerethree
orfouryearsoldandotherstudentsweresometimesolderthantheteacher!Thestudents
weren'tgroupedbyage;theyweregroupedbywhatbooktheywereusing.Theyallworked
togetheronthesamesubject.Theyhadtomemorizeversesandimportantdatesinhistoryand
thentheyhadtorecitetheminfrontoftheclassorquietlytotheteacher.Thiswascalled
recitation,asshowninthepicturebelow.
SometimesthestudentsweregivenaRewardofMerit,whichshowedthemthatthey
haddonewell.Itwasanhonortoreceivethiscertificatebecausepaperandprintedmaterials
werescarceonthefrontier.
Mostteachersdidn'tgetpaidverymuchmoney.Theyreceived$4to$10amonth.A
lotofteachershadto"boardround",meaningtheyhadtolivewiththeirstudents.Aren'tyou
gladyourteacherdoesn'tlivewithyou?Asyoucansee,schoolhaschangedalot.
OverontheEastCoast,backinthemid-1800s,itwasveryhardforblackpeopletoget
aneducation.Blackchildrendidnotgotoschool,butsomelearnedtoreadandwritefrom
whiteswhowantedthemtobeabletoreadtheBible.InmostSouthernstatesitwasagainst
thelawtoteachblackstoreadandwrite.Thewhitepeopledidn'twanttheslavestoread
aboutfreedominthenorthbecausetheymightrunaway.Theydidn'twantthemwriting
becausetheywouldprobablywritepassestoleavetheplantation.
PeoplecaughtteachingAfrican-Americanswouldgetarrestedorhavetopaylargefines.
Blackscaughtlearningwouldgetawhippingorsomeotherpunishment.Eventhoughitwas
verydangerous,manyblackpeoplestilllearned.Someweretaughtatnight.Otherstraded
somethingforlessons.Forexample,oneboywouldteachanothertoplaymarblesforalesson
onthealphabet.Slavechildrenlistenedunderschooldoorsandlearnedasmuchastheycould.
Angrywhitesattackingaschoolforblacks
EvenintheNorth,theschoolingforAfrican-Americanswaspoor.Somecitieshadpublic
schoolsforblackchildren,buttheywereseparatefromwhitechildren.Thisiscalled
segregation.Blackschoolswereweakerinstudiesandhadfewersuppliesthanwhiteschools.
Someblackparentspaidwhitetutorstoteachtheirkidsratherthansendthemtotheovercrowdedpublicschool.
Theschoolstaughtmostthingstheyteachusnow.Someschoolstaughtspecialthings
likemusic,drawingandknitting.Childrenlearnedandsangpatrioticsongslike“Rally'roundthe
Flag”inschools.ManyslavesgottheirfreedomaftertheCivilWar.Theslavesthatwerefreed
werecalledFreedmenandflockedtonewly-setupschoolsaroundtheSouthtogetan
education.
http://web.archive.org/web/20120427214501/http://library.thinkquest.org/J002606/mid1800s.html