The American Education System During The Second Great Awakening

Education is defined as the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university and is known as an enlightening experience. Before the 1820s the education system in the United States was a just disappointing to put it best. When the Second Great Awakening there was a new need for the public to no longer be so ignorant and uneducated on daily affairs. This need sprouted the sedulous to work for education and this soon became prominent to all members of society. Then it began: the push to improve the mockery that was the American education system.

Children in the early 1800s were predominantly taught at home by their parents. The parents could only give out the knowledge to the level of education they

themselves had received so most of the time children were just taught how to speak properly and pick up the family trade in time. This meant that a kid whose father was a farmer would be taught how to farm, a kid whose mother was a seamstress would learn how to tailor, and so on. This lack of education in the younger generation led to their future ignorance in political affairs. Horace Mann at this time believed citizens could not maintain this ignorance and freedom at the same time because how was a man supposed to be free if he was just forced into a trade without knowing of any other trades. It was the combination of both Mann's personal and professional experiences that influenced his approach to the area in which he had the most profound contribution - education. Mann's dissatisfaction with the country’s public education system began with his own schooling as a child. By 1837, public education in Massachusetts was still no better than it was during Mann's childhood.
Mann believed that this said education should be free, taught in public schools, not include religious teachings, and should be given by qualified teachers. It was hard to find a flaw with this proposal, but society soon did and put up barriers Mann would have to jump to build education. The main issue was the issue always plaguing the country, who would pay? Massachusetts took the leading charge and started the Common School Movement, in which public school would be tax funded and not retain to any religious beliefs. But there was still the problem of who would teach. Mann knew that to see the system flourish, he would have to employ properly trained teachers. In 1838, Mann helped to establish Normal Schools in Massachusetts. These schools were created to help prepare teachers by establishing pedagogical standards. Mann believed that better teachers would result in improvements in student learning. In essence, Mann's contributions were all aimed at improving the wellbeing of the citizenry by providing a tax-funded, high-quality public education.
By the end of 1840, public education was available to white girls and boys. Education for African Americans would not come until after the civil war, but it was still an avid thought in reformers minds at the time. This new wave of educated citizens meant that there would finally be a public understanding of political affairs and the influence of the public would be much greater on state and federal government.