Education
In the early 1800s, many children worked instead of going to school. Those who did go to school learned
only basic reading, writing, and math. A good education was reserved for the wealthy who could afford tutors
and private schools.
Education Document 1: Horace Mann, 1846 to the Massachusetts Legislature
I believe in the existence of a great, immortal, immutable principle of natural law...which proves the absolute
right to an education of every human being that comes into the world; and which, of course, proves the
correlative duty of every government to see that the means of that education are provided for all....
Massachusetts is parental in her government. More and more, as year after year rolls by, she seeks to substitute
prevention for remedy, and rewards for penalties. She strives to make industry the antidote to poverty, and to
counterwork the progress of vice and crime by the diffusion of knowledge and the culture of virtuous principles.
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-by-era/first-age-reform/resources/religion-and-social-reform-socialreform
Education Document 2: Section of Thomas Nast, February 26, 1870, Harper’s
Weekly
(Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)
Full document: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/99614272/
Education Document 3: Excerpt from an 1809 speech by New York Governor DeWitt
Clinton explaining the importance of education.
A number of [kind] persons had seen, with concern, the increasing vices [problems] of the city, arising, in a
great degree, from the neglected education of the poor. Great cities are, at all times, the nurseries and hot-beds
of crimes. ... And the dreadful examples of vice which are presented to youth, ..., connected with a spirit of
extravagance and luxury, ... cannot fail of [increasing] the mass of moral depravity. ... There can be no doubt
that hundreds are in ... this city, prowling about our streets for prey, the victims of intemperance [drunkenness],
the slaves of idleness, and ready to fall into any vice, rather than to cultivate industry and good order. How can
it be expected that persons so careless of themselves will pay any attention to their children? ... Instances have
occurred of little children, arraigned at the bar of our criminal courts, who have been derelict and abandoned,
without a hand to protect, or a voice to guide them, through life. When interrogated ... , they have replied that
they were without home and without friends. In this state ... they existed, a burden and a disgrace to the
community.
William Bourne, History of the Public School Society of the City of New York.
New York, 1870, pp. 14-24.
Education Document 4: 1936 summary of quotes from Horace Mann
Source: Library of Congress, American Memory
Collection:
“An American Time Capsule: Three Centuries of
Broadsides and Other Printed Ephemera”
Education Document 5: 1852 Massachusetts Compulsory Attendance Statutes
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives
Section 1. Every person who shall have any child under his control between the ages of eight and fouteen years,
shall send such child to some public school within the town or city in which he resides, during at least twelve
weeks, if the public schools within such town or city shall be so long kept, in each and every year during which
such child shall be under his control, six weeks of which shall be consecutive.
Section 2. (Describes fine of $20 for truancy)
Section 3. It shall be the duty of the school committee in the several towns or cities to inquire into all cases of
violation of the first section of this act, and to ascertain of the persons violating the same, the reasons, if any, for
such violation and they shall report such cases, together with such reasons, if any, to the town or city in their
annual report; but they shall not report any cases such as are provided for by the fourth section of this act.
Section 4. If, upon inquiry by the school committee, it shall appear, or if upon th etrial of any complaint or
indictment under this act it shall appear, that such child has attended some school, not in the town or city in
which he resides, for the time required by this act, or has been otherwise furnished with the means of education
for a like period of time, or has already acquired those branches of learning which are taught in common
schools, [also describes physical incapacity or poverty as being valid excuses for absence from school] shall not
be held to have violated the provisions of this act.
Section 5. It shall be the duty of the treasurer of the town or city to prosecute all violations of this act.
http://www.mhla.org/information/massdocuments/mglhistory.htm
Education Document 6: Education Reform Timeline from Mass.gov
1810 -­‐ School Districts Grow in Influence
School districts supported with local taxes grow in independence from the control of state
government.
1821 -­‐ First Free High School
Boston English School provides instruction in no language other than English. Its curriculum
emphasizes math, logic, science and history with the goal of professional preparation.
1825 -­‐ 1st High School for Girls
Boston starts the first high school for girls.
1827 -­‐ Education laws
Towns with more than 500 families are required to provide public English high schools.
1837 -­‐ First Board of Education in US
Horace Mann doubles state funding to education and teacher salaries. Fifty new high schools are
built, along with formal teacher training programs and school district libraries.
1839 -­‐ First State School for Teachers
Three young women report to a school in Lexington a state operated teacher training program.
Name:_________________________________________________________________________Date:_________Period:_____
Primary Source Capture Sheet Document Set B
Document
Describe the type of advocacy
being used in each document
(Who are they writing/drawing to)
What do you see when analyzing this document?
What are they saying in this document?
Document 1: Horace Mann,
1846 to the Massachusetts
Legislature
Document 2: Thomas Nast,
February 26, 1870, Harper’s
Weekly
Document 3: Excerpt from an
1809 speech by New York
Governor DeWitt
Using Document 4 a 1936 summary of quotes from Horace Mann, indicate what kind of educational beliefs the
reformers had.
After looking at Document 5 & 6
Was the Educational reform movement’s advocacy successful? Explain how you came to this answer