Situation: Harry Copter. I was born in 1840. After getting a journalist degree at Harvard for grade school, I was 30 and decided to writing for a magazine called Thaimag in 1870.
Education is a really important as we know today but it is interesting how the education have been growing the last fifty years. About eighty years ago in late 1700s, Education was occur at home. Usually, parents are the people who teaching their children to read and to write. Only a few of rich families could afford to send their child to study in school, or even in England. Paper were expensive eighty years ago so they still use “hornbook.” Hornbook is the book that parent would use to teach their children, even though the first printed book was printed in 1798 but it was not common to be seen around. Hornbook looks like a paddle that have letters on it, it could be letters in alphabet or it could be story. Usually hornbook is just plain wood but often time that hornbook was made out of stone or horn. Also in some rich families would decorate their horn book with stone or gems to show their wealth. Hornbook usually have handle with whole to attach string with a child whist or hip.
Now in 1870s, we using pen with metal but it was not invented back then. So people using quill that made out of feather and dipping in ink to write. Ten years after, in 1785, the Continental Congress, the Congress before U.S. Constitution was ratified, had passed the law to create “township” which spare part of money for local school, still it was not help much because there are many people who live out off town. Many families was doing farming. Pennsylvania state restrict free school for only those pool families children. But for those rich families should be able to pay for their child tuition.
The new trend occurred during the early 1800s, the idea of hiring tutor to teach their children in rich families was common. Families that rich enough would send their children to boarding school. There is a letter written by Sarah Hite Clark to her son that went to a boarding school in Lexington, Kentucky. During that time child were supposed to be able to read and to write beautifully as in the letter, “John and George brother is at home…I do afraid you they improve very fast, hope you will not be behind them for wanted of attention they write a very hansom letter you ought to apply yourself very close to your study when ever you have a minute to spare write letters and be particular in your spelling I shall always be pleased to read you letter and hear from you” (Clark.)
Some rich families would send their child to universities in Mexico city. Girls were not commonly go to school during that time but some did, it is depend on their family. Slave were prohibited to go to school because education was not require and no need for them. Schooling in that period is difference that now, most school have one room filling with lots of students at all grade. Students learned from one teacher, teacher would teach them all the fact and have them memorize it. Then student who do well would get a prize, merit. Teachers back then was not get paid much. They was not a well-trained, so it make the quality of education back then was poor. During that time kid have a choice either to go or work, help their parent at home. School were optional, kids go to school average total about 6 week in a year. In some families are far away from school, they have to walk great distance to get to school, or the father have to ride a horse to school back and forth to pick their child up.
For about fifty yearsago, there was an attempt from Prince Hall to extend the education of African-American kids, even thought they were born in free slave families. Prince Hall is an African-American Abolitionist in Boston. He was trying to request to Massachusetts Congress for the problem that even though free slave pay the tax but there are no any representative and to create a spacial program for black children. The result came out that both requests were failed. So he create his own school system in his home for black kids and for his own son, Primus who later also request edMassachusetts Congress to found a public school for black children.
The education during early 1800s was not as accessible as we are now, schools were limited on the families money and race
Work cite
- Clark, Sarah Hite. Letter to Isaac Clark. 06 May 1807. MS. N.p.
- “NW History Express: 1800’s: Overview.” NW History Express: 1800’s: Overview. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.
- “Historical Timeline of Public Education in the US.” Race Forward. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.
- “Mid -1850s.” ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.
- “Education in the 1800’s.” Education in the 1800’s. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.
- “Pen.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.
- “History of the Automobile.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Aug. 2013. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.
- “History of Education in the United States.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Oct. 2013. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.
Life of the Nation - an Early 19th C. Journalism Project 
Hey Copter!
I really enjoyed reading your blog post. The pictures you chose were very thoughtful and effective, and made me interested and wanting to read your piece! The story about the African American school is really interesting and I’m very happy that you included something that wasn’t just about white education in the United States. What I didn’t know, was that families would send their children to Mexico City, or that that was even an option in the early 1800s. I would have loved a little more about the universities in Mexico and how many people actually sent their child there. Thank you for posting this, and I hope you keep on writing well!
Emily K