Horace+Mann+-+SP09

=Horace Mann = ==="Father of American Public School E ducation" ===

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May 4, 1796-August 2, 1859  =====

Life:
Horace Mann was born in Franklin, Massachusetts on May 4, 1796. He was born on a farm, where his family lived in poverty. Since he had to stay home and work on the farm, his schooling was limited to about three months a year. This is ironic because later in life he was named the "Father of American Public School Education." Because he had a love for reading, he was always interested in books at the town library. Since he read so much, he was accepted into Brown University. By the age of ten, he learned the faith of the orthodox Calvinist. At age 23 he decided against this faith and converted to Unitarianism. He graduated from Brown University and after studied law. He was admitted to the Bar in 1823. Between the years of 1827 and 1848, he was a Senator and a State Representative for Massachusetts.

Criticisms of American Society:
During this time frame, education was not as valued as it is today. Mann belived that every man and women, no matter what color, age, or gender they are, should have a good education. Because of this belief, he argued for "common schools" instead of "charity schools." "Common schools" accepted everyone. He thought his society did not value education as much as it should have. Mann believed that no one should be discriminated against, so he hated slavery. When he joined Congress in 1848, he fought against slavery alongside Prudence Crandall and Elijah Lovejoy.

Goals:
-establish a free, public, non-segregated education for every man and woman -"common schools" to replace "charity schools" One of Mann's main goals in life was to establish a free and fair education for every man and women. He began this movement by becoming the first Secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education in 1837. He traded his career in politics for a career in education. -establish school libraries He believed that schools needed books that were free to the public on order for them to learn. -receive state funding for education Mann realized that a school was nothing without money. The school needed money for supplies, teachers, and books. -establish a state mental hospital in Massachusetts -prohibit the selling of alcohol -eliminate slavery When Mann joined Congress, he fought strongly against slavery. Slavery went against his idea of every man and women being created equally.

Were the goals practical for this time period?
Many of the goals that Horace Mann had were very practical for this time period. Establishing good schools should have been a priority for everyone because the country was just getting started and they needed educated people to run the country. School libraries were also practical because there was no more taxes on paper from Great Britain, so making books was very possible. Ebolishing slavery, however, in this time frame was not very practical. The south relied too much on the help of slaves. They still did not have proper machinery to harvest their crops. They also still had plantations where they would grow crops.

Methods for improving American life:
Horace Mann thought that by campaining, he could show the people the importance of education in Massachusetts. If only people could see what an education could do for them in life, then more people might want to join. Because of this, more schools were made and many other schools improved their education. He also held public meetings and special classes for teachers. These meetings were held in every county with a school. The meetings were held to raise public awareness.

Ways Federal Government/President could advance the movement:
-provide money for Mann and the school The government ended up giving funds to Mann and all of his schools

Success/Goals Achieved:
-campaining for education By using campaining as a tool, Mann won over the support of not only the people but the support of the federal government as well. -establishing schools so teachers could be trained to teach Education could not be taught to people just by sitting in a schoolhouse. Teachers needed to be educated on how to educate people. Mann achieved this goal by establishing training centers for people who wanted to be teachers. -established school libraires He established free, pubic libraries so people and students alike could learn to read and rent books. -recieved money from the state for education By recieving money from the state, Mann more than doubled the salaries of teachers in Massachusetts. He also was able to aid the building of 50 new schools. The state doubled funding for Massachusetts schools once they saw the importance of education. -influenced people nationwide He wrote the "Common School Journal" which was published in many states nationwide. -50 new secondary schools were built

Emma Willard
Horace Mann and Emma Williard had basically the same policies. They both wanted education free education for everyone, including women. Both started out in difficult places, with the people in their area not being concerned with education. It was not as important to the people as it was to them. The only difference was that Emma wanted schools that separated the men from the women. Prudence Crandall Horace Mann also had the same policies as Prudence Crandall. They both wanted free education for everyone, no matter what their color or race was. They both were strongly against slavery as well. They led many movements and fought against slavery. All men and women should be treated equally because everyone was equal in God's eyes.

Bibliography:
"Horace Mann." 2003. Antioch University. 28 Feb. 2009 []. "Horace Mann." 28 Feb. 2009 []. Picture from: []