How did early Americans educate their children? How and when did Americans create a formal system of public education?
You sent me these questions for Episode 200: Everyday Life in Early America. You also said you wanted to know more about how early American boys and girls learned the trades they would practice later in life.
Johann Neem, a Professor of History at Western Washington University and author of Democracy’s Schools: The Rise of Public Education in America, joins us to further explore how early Americans educated their children and how early American children learned the trades they would practice later in life.
About the Show
Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.
It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.
Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.
Ben Franklin’s World is a production of the Omohundro Institute.
Episode Summary
Johann Neem, a Professor of History at Western Washington University and author of Democracy’s Schools: The Rise of Public Education in America, joins us to further explore how early Americans educated their children and how early American children learned the trades they would practice later in life.
During our conversation, Johann reveals information about the apprenticeship system and how it worked; The indenture system and the ways the American Revolution impacted it; And details about the rise of formal public education in the early United States.
What You’ll Discover
- Apprenticeships
- European guild system
- Indentures and indenture papers
- American Revolution’s impact on the indenture system
- Women and apprenticeships
- Founding of free schools and education in North America
- Free schools in colonial America
- Regional variations in early American schools and education
- Grassroots movement for education
- Education for boys and girls
- Early American colleges
- Funding for early American colleges
- Lessons from education in early America
- Self-help education in early America
Links to People, Places, and Publications
- Johann Neem
- Johann Neem on Twitter: @JohannNeem
- Johann Neem, Democracy’s Schools: The Rise of Public Education in America
- Johann Neem, What's the Point of College?: Seeking Purpose in an Age of Reform
Sponsor Links
Complementary Episodes
- Episode 050: Marla Miller, Betsy Ross
- Episode 083: Jared Hardesty, Unfreedom: Slavery in Colonial Boston
- Episode 169: Thomas Kidd, The Religious Life of Benjamin Franklin
- Episode 200: Everyday Life in Early America
- Episode 207: Nick Bunker, Young Benjamin Franklin
- Episode 239: Joseph Adelman, Post & Travel in Early America
Questions, Comments, Suggestions
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Get in Touch! Send me an e-mail, tweet, or leave a comment.
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