History of the Common School Movement

When the United States of America came into existence, education was a luxury available only to the wealthy and usually confined to men. Well-to-do women might also have access to limited schooling, but widespread literacy was not the norm anywhere in the world. Many influential thinkers (themselves well-educated by the standards of their times) contended that education was a luxury that should be restricted to those who could afford and appreciate its benefits. Some of the strongest opposition came from the question of who should pay for education. James Bowen quotes an editorial in the Philadelphia National Ga

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gal rights are not." Mann started to work actively for the establishment of what he called the common school. He believed that education should be a common, secular experience, available free of charge to all children in America. The Constitution had made no mention of education, and so the responsibility fell to the states. Under Mann's urging, Massachusetts became the first state to establish a board of education in 1837, and Mann was appointed as its first head. Establishment of this board helped solidify public acceptance of Mann's ideas. In 1852, Massachusetts, under Mann's leadership, passed the nation's first compulsory education law, requiring all children ages 8 to 14 to attend public school at least 12 weeks a year, six of which had to be consecutive. This requirement only applied where public schools existed but put some pressure on school boards to provide schools. Other states followed Massachusetts' lead. Henry Barnard (1811-1900) became secretary of the second state board of education, established in Connecticut in 1838. However, some southern states did not set up boards of education until as late as 1916, and the initial "impact was chiefly upon white, middle-class males." The common school movement
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2354
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)

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