17th Abd 18th Century Colonial Education

17th and 18th Century Colonial Education

Educational practices in the southern colonies during the late 17th and early 18th could be viewed as to today's private schools. During this period much of the education was private. School age children were taught at home by their parents, or if the parents could afford it they would hire a private tutor. The middle to poor children learned from their parents or older siblings. Many of the poor children and all black children went with schooling. There were some exceptions to the rule.

Families of the southern colonies believed that education was a private matter, thus stating it was important for their children to receive valued training and learning at home. The southern families believed that the values taught at home made their children more social and elite. They also believed if families failed at such tasks how could schools succeed at such endeavors, therefore public education was not favored in the southern colonies.

Some southern did believe in the value of public schools. Horace Mann was one of the southerners who believed in free public schooling. Because of beliefs and establishments of the common schools, many of the southern colony families sought his advice about free public education. Even though Horace Mann was an advocate of free and public education for all throughout the southern colonies, this was not true for salve children in the southern colonies. During this period it was against the law to educate slave children. The literacy rate in the southern colonies was significantly lower than in the New England and mid-Atlantic colonies.

The Educational practices in the New England colonies were important. Education in the New England was of much significance if the family could afford to educate their children. The New England Puritans valued education for the opportunity to practice it religious beliefs. During this period in the New England colonies both boys and girls attended the same elementary schools at different times or different seasons. As with the southern colonies slave children was not permitted to publically learn.

Some of the educational practices of the New England colonies the boys often went to apprenticeship to learn a trade; normally the apprentice would stay and work for free until he was able to open his own shop. If the boys during this period did not do apprentice work they would attend grammar schools set up by families to teach the bys Latin, math, religion, and other subject necessary to get into college.

Even the girls were as smart as the boys and could read as well, they were not allowed to attend the grammar schools or attend college. The girls were allowed to attend Dame schools. Here at the Dames schools the girls learned how to reform domestic work such as cooking, cleaning, sewing, and even how to become Dame tutors themselves. As Dame tutors the girl's