Chapter 5: The History of Schools in the United States

As stated in The Joy of Teaching Gene E. Hall, Linda F.Quinn and Donna M. Gollnick the beginning of the 1800’s the curriculum for the puritans was one to educate the “well to-do-to individuals who were preparing for the Protestant ministry”(176) and the other kids were taught how to read and write mostly to “obey the laws of god”.  Then in the early eighteenth century Horace Mann believed that integrating kids from all the classes would cause less tension between them theses schools were called the “common schools” which were schools that was tax supported.  In these schools the kids would all be in the same room learning “skills needed for everyday life, ethical behavior, and reasonable citizenship”, they were also taught the basics of reading, writing, arithmetic spelling, history and geography.  In 1848 the first school to specify between grades was “Quincy School” located in Boston.  This made it more accessible to teach more of a standard curriculum so that the kids could progress through each level.    We know take full advantage of having a textbooks to help guide the teachers to teach somewhat of the same material in the classrooms, and to get our young people ready for college. As a society we are now realizing the importance of education, and are now starting to find ways to educate in a more universal way. 


The first debates in the 1800's were based of the question, how much education should a state provide? The later debates were focused on what should be taught to these kids.  A lot of controversy was over the subject of religion. Should religion be taught in schools? We know now that religion is not taught in public schools, but in private schools.   Some debates were also over the need for a high school.  Some thought that thought the grammar schools should provide all the education that one need, focusing on well disciplined mind.  Others found the need to advance students education in “science, math, English, history, and the political economy “  yet the “curriculum [were] generally determines by the textbooks of the period”(183).