1. Chapter 4 Section 4
The Spread of New Ideas
Prentice Hall
America History of Our Nation
A. Barnette 2013
2. The Importance of Education
Massachusetts was
the first colony to
have public schools.
They were funded
publicly and
privately.
Puritans required
parents to teach
their children to
read and write.
3. Colonial Schools
Students learned
◦ Religion
◦ Reading
◦ Writing
◦ Arithmetic
Methods of learning
◦ Primers
◦ Hornbooks
Types of schools
Public, private, tutors
, dame schools, no
schools at all
Thought question: Why do
you think that there was such
a difference between the
levels of education in the
South?
4. Education for African Americans
Free African
Americans, Native
Americans, and
poor whites were
sometimes taught
by religious groups.
Slave codes usually
forbid teaching
slaves, but some
found ways to learn
despite the laws. Thought Question: Why do
you think slave codes
prohibited the education of
slaves?
5. Upper Levels
Grammar school then
was like high school
now, but they were
also expected to
learn “the classics,”
Greek and Latin.
Colleges began for
ministers before
expanding to other
disciplines.
The first was
Harvard, followed by
William and Mary.
Thought Question: Why do
you think the first colleges
were formed to educate
ministers?
6. Roots of American Literature
Poetry
◦ Ann Bradstreet- “To My
Dear and Loving
Husband”-first colonial
poet
◦ Phyllis Wheatley-had
been a slave in Boston-
1st African American
woman to publish a book
7. Roots of American Literature
Ben Franklin
◦ Pennsylvania Gazette-
He began publishing at
age 17!
◦ Poor Richard’s Amanack
–many famous wise
sayings in this yearly
publication
◦ Became a Founding
Father who used his
intellect to make the
country a better place-
was a
scientist, inventor, publi
sher, community
activist, and diplomat
8. The Great Awakening
Religious Revival
Puritanism had
waned, and many
thought Christianity
was losing its fervor.
Preachers like
Jonathan Edwards
and George
Whitefield stirred
emotions with
powerful sermons.
9. The Great Awakening
Impact of the Great
Awakening
New
denominations, like
Baptist, Methodist,
Presbyterian, etc.
More tolerance of
religious differences
Photo source: http://bjws.blogspot.com/2012/03/early-
american-churches-in-original-13.html
10. The Enlightenment
John Locke-
◦ Englishman who said
that people have
natural rights (This idea
ended up in our
Declaration of
Independence.)
◦ He said our natural
rights come directly
from God, not from
God, to a
monarch, then to us.
◦ Governments should
protect these rights.
Thought question:
If government
should protect our
natural rights, what
happens if it does
not?
11. The Enlightenment
Baron de
Montesquieu
◦ Government should
have a separation of
powers into different
branches:
Legislative, Executive
, and Judicial
◦ We have that idea in
our Constitution.
Thought Question:
What can you say
that the
Enlightenment
thinkers had in
common?