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America begins
The first permanent colony of the United States, Jamestown, is established in present day Virginia. America is born. -
The first free school
Following the opening of the first Latin grammar school called the Boston Grammar School, the first "free school" in Virginia opens, even though education in the southern colonies is typically provided by a parent or a tutor. -
Harvard established
Harvard, the oldest university in America, is established in Newtowne (what is now Cambridge) Massachusetts. It is established to verse young men in the ways of the lord so that they may become Puritan ministers. -
Henry Dunster
Henry Dunster becomes president of Harvard College and teaches all the courses himself. Dunster is one of the first well-known male teachers in the U.S. -
Massachusetts law of 1647
The Old Deluder Satan Act, also known as the Massachusetts Law of 1647, is passed. The law proclaims that every town of at least 50 families hire a schoolmaster who would teach the town's children to read and write and that all towns of at least 100 families should have a Latin grammar school master who will prepare students to attend Harvard College. -
John Locke
In 1690, John Locke publishes his"Essay Concerning Human Understanding" which is the first work of literature to introduce the idea that the human mind is a blank slate (or a tabula rasa) at birth and our knowledge comes from experience as we grow older. -
New England Primer
The first New England Primer is printed in Boston. It becomes the most widely-used schoolbook in New England. -
Christopher Dock
Christopher Dock, one of Pennsylvania's most famous educators, arrives from Germany and later opens a school in Montgomery County, PA. Dock's book, Schul-Ordnung (meaning school management), published in 1770, is the first book about teaching printed in colonial America. -
Christian Wolff
Christian Wolff describes the human mind as consisting of powers or faculties. Called Faculty Psychology, this doctrine holds that the mind can best be developed through "mental discipline" or tedious drill and repetition of basic skills. This viewpoint greatly influences American education throughout the 19th Century and beyond. -
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin helps to establish the first "English Academy" in Philadelphia with a curriculum that is both classical and modern. The academy ultimately becomes the University of Pennsylvania. -
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Swiss-born Jean-Jacques Rousseau's book, Emile, ou l'education, which describes his views on education, is published. Rousseau's ideas on the importance early childhood education influence 20th-Century American philosopher and educational reformer John Dewey. -
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson authors Bill 79: "A Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge," which provides "a comprehensive plan for public education . . ." It is presented in the Virginia House of Delegates several times before a revised bill titled, "An Act to Establish Public Education," is finally passed in 1796. -
UGA
The University of Georgia is established and becomes "America's first state-chartered university." -
The blackboard
James Pillans invents the modern blackboard. -
Boston English High School
Boston English High School, one of the first public high schools in the U.S., opens. -
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species is published on November 24, introducing his theory that species evolve through the process of natural selection, and setting the stage for the controversy surrounding teaching the theory of evolution in public schools that persists to this day. -
Association of American Universities
The Association of American Universities is founded to promote higher standards and put U.S. universities on an equal footing with their European counterparts. -
John Dewey
John Dewey's Democracy and Education. An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education is published. Dewey's views help advance the ideas of the "progressive education movement." An outgrowth of the progressive political movement, progressive education seeks to make schools more effective agents of democracy. His daughter, Evelyn Dewey, coauthors Schools of To-morrow with her father, and goes on to write several books on her own -
The Great Depression begins
The Great Depression begins with the stock market crash in October. The U.S. economy is devastated. Public education funding suffers greatly, resulting in school closings, teacher layoffs, and lower salaries. -
Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget's book, The Science of Education, is published. His Learning Cycle model helps to popularize discovery-based teaching approaches, particularly in the sciences.
