Colonial Education

Picture this. You are an indentured servant that survived the harsh journey across the Atlantic Ocean from England and have worked tiredlessly for a wealthy family, doing all of the necessary chores and errands that are required of you. Typically, indentured servants are on a volunteer basis, however some were captures or were those that England needed out of the country because it was too populated (Snyder, 2007). The education that you, as an indentured servant would be given, was not high on the list of importance (Middlekauff, 1961). There is hope for you. Indentured servants in the south had the opportunity to become apprentices that excelled in a certain trade, while the more laborous jobs were left to the enslaved peoples, therefore someone would now need to teach these apprentices about their trade (Snyder, 2007). Those who were indentured servants in the moddle and New England colonies, had a slightly different route. In these colonies, you would receive a more structured education process during the transition process from an indentured servant to an apprentice, while in your specific trade (Snyder, 2007). There were those that did eventually become tutors that helped the future generations learn the trade and continued to pass down their teachings.

It is common that in modern times there is a clear separation between Church and State but at the time of the 13 colonies, this idea was nonexistant. There are those that came to the New World, that is now America in order to escape religious persecution from the King of England. In the colonies there were many different types of religions such as Protestant, Quakers, Cathloics, Puritans, Anglicans and many others. Each area of the 13 colonies had their own groups that followed their own religion. When it came to schools in the beginning of the colonies there was no form of structure, it was until churches and religions stepped up to help form some type of structure. Religion was a key component in paving the way for schools. However, there were variances in schools based on the religion that helped shape it. Quakers were some of the most unique ones when it came to their viewpoints about schools. This group did not have schools where information was formally taught. There was a man by the name of James Gibbons, who was a Quaker farmer who had no formal education yet he was well versed in different languages (Brinton, 1958). For the Quakers the education process was by choice, those that have the calling from the Holy Spirit follow this path to a higher education (Brinton, 1958). The Anglicans were different from the Quakers. Their church helped lay the foundations for higher education. Anglicans established universities and colleges that served as the model for universities today (Middleton, 1958). One of the earliest Anglican schools was established in 1698 (Middlekauff, 1961). However, it was not an initial concern since most of those in the early settlements were all Anglican and they could go back to England and attend the universities there (Middleton, 1958).

It can be seen that throughout history, the north and the south functioned very differently. However, when people think about schools they mostly picture the system in which we have today. In colonial times school was not mandatory and it was for anyone that wanted to participate (Middlekauff, 1961). This was due to the foundations of the landscape, since the south was more flat land they were agricultural based, the north however was rocky in terrain so agriculture was not an ideal method of making money. The landscape was a major influence on schools and their locations. In the south, the plantations were large for the most part meaning families were not close to other families. Some of the more wealthy plantation owners were able to send their kids back to England, while the smaller plantation owners formed schools on their plantations that hired tutors and teachers to educate the children and it was not until later that boarding schools were institutionalized (Middlekauff, 1972). The middle colonies found more structure in terms of education. Their towns were closer together and contained more people than in the south. In the middle colonies, if a town had 50 or more people they would only need a writing and reading instructor. However, if the town increased to over 100 people then a grammar instructor would be required as well (Middlekauff, 1972).