History of Education in the U.S. - Colonial Era

Vocabulary flashcards covering the historical development and educational systems of the New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies.

New England Colonies

The group of colonies comprising New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

Puritans

The most highly educated group to settle in the new world, who established the New England Colonies with a high regard for education.

Dame schools

English school models after which early New England schools were designed, characterized by harsh and dogmatic daily routines.

Latin Grammar School

The oldest primary school in America, located in the New England Colonies, which primarily prepared boys for Harvard.

Acts of 1642 and 1647

The beginning compulsory education acts in the New England Colonies, also associated with Old Deluder Satan.

Massachusetts Law of 1852

A landmark law in New England establishing compulsory education.

Harvard University

The first college in the U.S., founded in Massachusetts in 1636 to train ministers.

Middle Colonies

The group of colonies comprising Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, and New Jersey.

Middle Colonies Settlers

Religious groups including the Dutch Reformed Church, Quakers, Germans, and Catholics who sought to preserve religious freedom.

Parochial Schools

The primary type of schools in the Middle Colonies, established due to a strong desire to preserve specific religious beliefs.

Charity Schools

Schools established in the Middle Colonies for the poor, which were not widely accepted due to religious differences.

Benjamin Franklin's Academy

An institution founded in 1751 with a heavy emphasis on utilitarian education, skills, or trades, serving as the forerunner to the American High School.

Southern Colonies

The group of colonies comprising Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland.

Southern Colonies Settlers

Settlers primarily composed of Anglicans, outcasts, and prisoners (in Georgia), who were not a highly educated group and showed little concern for education or religion.

Southern Colonies Population

A social makeup composed of wealthy landowners and a mass of laborers, including indentured servants and slaves.

Southern Colonies View on Education

The belief that education was a private and individual concern rather than a function of the state, provided mainly through tutors, travel abroad, or apprenticeships.

College of William and Mary

The second colonial college in America, founded in the Southern Colonies.

New England Educational Model

The colonial form of education adopted as America grew, characterized by free public schooling, compulsory education, and state-controlled education.