What Were Teaching and Schools Like in the American Colonies (1620-1750)?
• Colonial education was patterned after the British two-track system and its primary objective was to promote religion. • Puritans believed children were naturally corrupt and sinful and should be disciplined sternly at the dame schools, reading and writing schools, and Latin grammar schools common to the colonies. • Mandated education in the United States had its origins in two colonial laws: the Massachusetts Acts of 1642 and 1647. • At the end of the American Revolution, the few African and Native Americans who were literate were taught at church-sponsored schools that were segregated by race. What Were the Goals of Education during the Revolutionary Period (1750-1820)? • During the Revolutionary period, characterized by a declining European influence on American education, education in the new democracy was shaped by the ideas of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Noah Webster. • Educational opportunities for women were often limited to preparing them for family life. How Wa
