The History of Public Education in the United States
Number of pages:
10
ABSTRACT:
This is a 10 page paper discussing the history of public education in the United States. Since the 17th century, the Americans have been concerned with the support of public education in the United States. Many public schools which opened, the first reported in Boston in 1642, were still mainly for the education of those in the middle and upper classes as the lower classes were dependent upon the income brought in by their children. Through the support of advocates for the importance of public education, such Horace Mann and later, the Philadelphia Working Men’s Committee, the idea of public education funded by the state became more of a reality with stipulations which would allow for children to work and attend school at the same time. Many discriminatory aspects were still to be overcome however as the education of women, racial minorities and Catholics were highly restricted. Several innovators and centuries later, the development of public education was expanded to include women, African Americans and other minorities aided by laws of desegregation in the Fourteenth Amendment. Today, public education is still a controversial issue since the voucher system has been introduced to allow individuals to apply their public education taxes to tuition to private institutions which may provide more suitable and specific educational needs for those who do not wish to educate their children in the state and federal based curriculum. Regardless of the results of this latest controversial issue, public education will always remain an important part of the American society in their efforts to educate all Americans without fear of financial loss or discrimination.
Bibliography lists 20 sources.
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