Chapter 3

Question 1

How many Puritan immigrants came from 1630-1650?

Answer 1

25,000

Question 2

Where were Christian schools first established?

Answer 2

Boston

Question 3

Who were the champions of literacy and learning?

Answer 3

Puritans

Question 4

When did the Puritans establish their first formal school and what was it called? How long did it last?

Answer 4

1635, Boston Latin School.

It still exists today.

Question 5

What was the purpose of the Boston Latin School?

Answer 5

To provide education for young men to enter Harvard to study to serve as Puritan ministers or schoolmasters

Question 6

Ministers usually started out as what before becoming pastors?

Answer 6

Schoolmasters

Question 7

What is a good indication that education was greatly valued by the Puritans?

Answer 7

The number of booksellers flourished

Question 8

What was the name of the first school law and when was it formed?

Answer 8

“Old Deluder Satan Act” 1647

Question 9

What did the “Old Deluder Satan Act” start?

Answer 9

The formation of a unified system of Puritan elementary town schools and secondary Grammar schools

Question 10

What did the “Old Deluder Act” state?

Answer 10

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

Question 11

What did the “Old Deluder Act” not require?

Answer 11

Compulsory attendance or free education for all students

Question 12

What were dame schools?

Answer 12

First primary schools in the Bay colony

A school dame taught young children ages 4-8, in her kite or living room

Question 13

What were pastor schools

Answer 13

Pastors taught students in their home for additional money

Some even had boarding students

Question 14

What were some other types of schools during the colonial period?

Answer 14

Petty school, writing school, and English school

Question 15

Who had control over education?

Answer 15

The local towns

Question 16

What was the goal of the school master?

Answer 16

To keep Christ preeminent in Puritan schools

Question 17

What was concern of the schoolmaster?

Answer 17

The spiritual conversion of students

Question 18

How were schoolmasters regarded in the community?

Answer 18

They were paid poorly but were given favorable community recognition

Question 19

What three things led to the decline of Puritanism in Puritan Schools?

Answer 19

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

Question 20

What were some of the results of King Philips War and what years did it take place?

Answer 20

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)

Question 21

What was the unifying centerpiece of the New England colonies?

Answer 21

The Bible

Question 22

Explain the role of the schoolmaster (teacher) in colonial times.

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

Explain how the Puritan Schools declined in the latter portion of the 1600’s.

Answer 23

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.