Early American Education Summary

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Student: DeAnna Martin
“The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
Early American Education
Harvard

Harvard’s two mottos:
1) “Let every student be plainly instructed and…consider well, the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus, which is eternal life (John 17:3).
2) To therefore lay Christ in the bottom as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning.”

Harvard introduced particular educational practices, for instance: “Everyone shall so exercise himself in reading the Scriptures twice a day that he shall be ready to give such an account of his proficiency therein.”

Yale
Yale’s students had to: “Above all, …show more content…

This Bible-centered emphasis in education was common in subsequent educational laws as well.

1787 Northwest Ordinance This is the first federal law in America addressing education: It was passed by the same and by the same Founding Fathers that also drafted the First. Up to the present time, this law still holds position among the four organic/fundamental American laws. This are the four main laws that all other laws are to be based. When President George Washington signed this Federal law, Article III of that law effectively linked public education and religion as the law declared: “Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be …show more content…

“Before I state my arguments in favor of teaching children to read by means of the Bible, I shall assume the five following propositions: 1) That Christianity is the only true and perfect religion, and that in proportion as mankind adopts its principles and obeys its precepts, they will be wise and happy; 2) That a better knowledge of this religion is to be acquired by reading the Bible than in any other way; 3) That the Bible contains more knowledge necessary to man in his present state than any other book in the world; 4) That knowledge is most durable and religious instruction most useful when imparted early in life; and 5) That the Bible, when not read in schools, is seldom read in any subsequent period of

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