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Period: to
Colonial America
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European Settlement
Europeans settled in the New England area, where Native Americans were seen as a challenge to progress; the Europeans sought to make Native Americans more civilized, marking a early process of social change (Rury, 2020). -
Religious Influence
European settlers with mixed religious beliefs sought education to learn literacy and reasoning skills to read and interpret Christian scriptures, religious writings, and Holy Scripture (Rury, 2020). -
Harvard College
Puritans established Harvard College as a result of educated leaders being considered essential for moral and intellectual life (Rury, 2020). -
School Establishment
Massachusetts enacted a law requiring towns with 50 families or more to establish a school (Rury, 2020). Connecticut made a similar law in the years following (Rury, 2020). -
Society for Propagation of the Gospel
In the late 1600s, Anglicans formed the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG). Worried Englishmen would drift from the church; they dispatched hundreds of ministers (Rury, 2020). -
Yale College
Yale College was founded to train religious leaders (Rury, 2020). -
Great Awakening
During this period of religious revivalism, George Whitefield preached that conviction and commitment to God were important, even more so than scriptural interpretation (Rury, 2020). -
Princeton University
Princeton University was founded to train religious leaders (Rury, 2020). -
Raise in Women's Literacy
An increase from less than a third to a half of women could sign their wills during the later 1700s. -
Bill for More General Diffusion of Knowledge
Though never adopted, Jefferson proposed a plan, the Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge, believing widely accessible and free schooling could lead to natural aristocracy (Rury, 2020). -
Northwest Ordinance
Passing the Northwest Ordinance, the Second Continental Congress called for the sale of federal land to create funds that support education. -
Literacy Rates Increase
By the beginning of the 18th century, literacy rates rose among men and women due to the increased importance placed on literacy skills for record-keeping, etc. (Rury, 2020). -
Learning Through Apprenticeship
During the 1800s, children learned by apprenticeship, where they would join another household to learn skills and more formal expectations about education (Rury, 2020). -
Republican Motherhood
Benjamin Rush emphasized the importance of women's education to teach their children the principles of American democracy; thus, the Republican motherhood era began (Rury, 2020). -
Females Attend Summer School Sessions
Girls during the later 1800s attended summer school sessions in New England.