1647 Massachusetts becomes the first colony to establish public schools (to the secondary school level.)
1790 Pennsylvania state constitution calls for free public education but only for poor children. It is expected that rich people will pay for their children's schooling.
1805 New York Public School Society formed by wealthy businessmen to provide education for poor children. Schools are run on the "Lancasterian" model, in which one "master" can teach hundreds of students in a single room. The master gives a rote lesson to the older students, who then pass it down to the younger students. These schools emphasize discipline and obedience qualities that factory owners want in their workers.
1817 A petition presented in the Boston Town Meeting calls for establishing of a system of free public primary schools. Main support comes from local merchants, businessmen and wealthier artisans. Many wage earners oppose it, because they don't want to pay the taxes.
U.S. Supreme Court building.
Richard Milhous Nixon, 37th President of the Unite...
English: Plessy v Ferguson plaque, Press Street, N...1820 First public high school in the U.S., Boston English, opens.
1827 Massachusetts passes a law making all grades of public school open to all pupils free of charge.
1830s By this time, most southern states have laws forbidding teaching people in slavery to read. Even so, around 5 percent become literate at great personal risk.
1820-1860 The percentage of people working in agriculture plummets as family farms are gobbled up by larger agricultural businesses and people are forced to look for work in towns and cities. At the same time, cities grow tremendously, fueled by new manufacturing industries, the influx of people from rural areas and many immigrants from Europe. During the 10 years from 1846 to 1856, 3.1 million immigrants arrive a number equal to one eighth of the entire U.S. population. Owners of industry needed a docile, obedient workforce and look to public schools...