Chapter 3 Flashcards
How many Puritan immigrants came from 1630-1650?
25,000
Where were Christian schools first established?
Boston
Who were the champions of literacy and learning?
Puritans
When did the Puritans establish their first formal school and what was it called? How long did it last?
1635, Boston Latin School.
It still exists today.
What was the purpose of the Boston Latin School?
To provide education for young men to enter Harvard to study to serve as Puritan ministers or schoolmasters
Ministers usually started out as what before becoming pastors?
Schoolmasters
What is a good indication that education was greatly valued by the Puritans?
The number of booksellers flourished
What was the name of the first school law and when was it formed?
“Old Deluder Satan Act” 1647
What did the “Old Deluder Satan Act” start?
The formation of a unified system of Puritan elementary town schools and secondary Grammar schools
What did the “Old Deluder Act” state?
Towns with 50 households would appoint a teacher to teach the children to read and write with the teacher being paid by the town.
Towns with 100 households or more should also have a grammar school to prepare students for university
What did the “Old Deluder Act” not require?
Compulsory attendance or free education for all students
What were dame schools?
First primary schools in the Bay colony
A school dame taught young children ages 4-8, in her kite or living room
What were pastor schools
Pastors taught students in their home for additional money
Some even had boarding students
What were some other types of schools during the colonial period?
Petty school, writing school, and English school
Who had control over education?
The local towns
What was the goal of the school master?
To keep Christ preeminent in Puritan schools
What was concern of the schoolmaster?
The spiritual conversion of students
How were schoolmasters regarded in the community?
They were paid poorly but were given favorable community recognition
What three things led to the decline of Puritanism in Puritan Schools?
King Philip’s War
Following the war, families left the towns and moved on to larger farms which affected the close-knot towns and caused less influence of pastors and schoolmasters
Education focused on vocational preparation instead of spiritual training
What were some of the results of King Philips War and what years did it take place?
12 of the 90 towns were destroyed
Costs $500,000 to fight
Towns were so poor they could not pay their colony taxes and maintain schools
(1675-1678)
What was the unifying centerpiece of the New England colonies?
The Bible
Explain the role of the schoolmaster (teacher) in colonial times.
The primary goal of the schoolmaster was to train young boys to be ministers or schoolmasters. The education of the young boys was focused on the Bible and living right. The schoolmaster primarily answered to the minister. In some cases, the minister would be a schoolmaster. He would have a few boarders in his home and would train them for the ministry. Although the pay of a schoolmaster was low, the position was highly respectable.
Explain how the Puritan Schools declined in the latter portion of the 1600’s.
After the end of the Indian War, the geographically close town began to spread out. Families began to move to larger farm lands. This affected the close-knit ties of the community. The new settlers that came to the colonies were more focused on financial gain than educating the children. By being more spread out geographically, the colonist were also less exposed to the preaching that was previously so important to their daily lives. These factors led to a spiritual decline among the colonist which led to a decline in the quality of education.
