Colonial America

1741, Education & Literacy

Dr. Kane

mkane2@albany.edu Social Science 116 | MWF 12:35-1:30 PM

Office Hrs: M 10:20 - 11:20 & F 1:30 - 3:30 Social Science 60S

Friday, October 20

coming up

  • Argumentation paper Oct 27
  • stay caught up with Lepore!

today's class

  • what happened in 1741?
  • education in early America
  • how do newspapers work?

what happened in 1741?

  1. the plot, 5-14, 60-63
  2. Quack & Cuffee (Philipse), 59-63, 96-97, 102-106
  3. Caesar (Vaarck), 36-38, 89-90, 137-141
  4. Jack & Gerardus Comfort, 130-135, 144-150
  5. Mary Burton, 36-39, 78-79, 96-97
  6. Peggy Kerry, 36-39, 85-89
  7. John Hughson, 36-39, 108-110, 126-128, 137-138

colonial education

New England education

  • New England is weird!
  • emphasis on education for religious purposes
  • boys educated for religious leadership
  • girls educated for household management

New England primer

primer
primer

New England primer

primer
primer

the rest of early America

  • 1730s literacy rates begin to rise
  • education dependent on class
  • long distance & inter-colonial trade
  • reputation over long distances

early American universities

  • primarily religious
  • educate ministers, missionaries, and Indian missionaries
  • dependent on slave labor, esp women
  • how do other professionals get educated?

Harvard

harvard
harvard

UAlbany

ualbany
ualbany

Indian education

  • Felicite at Ursuline convent girls' school, 1620-1690
  • John Sassamon at Harvard, 1660s
  • John Johnson at Princeton, 1740s
  • Samson Occom at Dartmouth, 1750s

news in early America

  • who needs to know "news"?
  • shipping reports, government reports
  • theater as means of dissent
  • John Peter Zenger vs. William Cosby
  • is it libel if it's true?
  • social order & fear of political parties