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Infancy to age 7 was viewed as a period of growth. Gender roles were reinforced early, with boys and girls following their respective parents around and contributing whenever possible. Survival was a constant worry (high mortality rates, plague, Crusades, Witch Hunts) and children were expected to work as soon and as much as they were able. Education was sparse and limited to noble families; most learning occured through hands on training and assimilation through an apprentice model.
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In an attempt to make peace with his Barons, King John signed the Magna Carta. This document served as inspiration for the U.S. Constitution and challenged the absolute authority of the king, subjecting him to the rule of the law. It introduced the idea of the right to due process (Habeas Corpus), stating, "No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled … except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land."
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A lyric poet and prolific writer, Petrarch dedicated his life to the pursuit of knowledge. He was born on 20 July 1304 and died in 1374. He believed that the exploration of knowledge, art, and culture did not lie in contrast to religious pursuits. Considered one of the fathers of the Renaissance, he spent his life trying to find and demonstrate a balance between the two realms.
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Around this time, Johannes Gutenberg created Europe's 1st movable type printing press (*predated by earlier versions in China) which allowed for the mass production of printed material.
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This famous Protestant reformer changes the shape of western culture by insisting that people were in control of their own salvation and thus everyone should be taught to read in order to understand God's words directly. He subsequently became a staunch advocator of compulsory education for all children.
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First published by William Caxton, this collection of morality tales (and the many versions that both preceded and followed) were used by adults to shape children’s' moral outlook.
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On this day, Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses of Contention on the castle church door, publically challenging the power of the Catholic Church and decrying the rampant corruption he saw in its ranks.
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In July of 1585, Sir Walter Raleigh sent over 100 male settlers to Roanoke Island. This attempt failed, however, in August of 1587 the English tried again (this time with men, women, and children) only to have the colony disappear without a trace.
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The Virginia Company explorers founded the English Colony of Virginia in May of 1697. This was the first of many permanent and successful settlements, which ultimately led to the demise of the native inhabitant and the creation of the United States of America.
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Locke is known for his ideas on the sovereignty of the individual and the nature of legitimate government. He advocated for religious toleration and believed in the separation of Church and State. Concerned with discovering the limits of human understanding, he expounded the empirical theory of knowledge and argued that humans at birth are a “clean slate” upon which our experience, through sensation and reflection, writes with the materials formed of our ideas.
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In 1638, the Rev. & Mrs. Glover set up a printing press at Harvard College. "The first thing printed was the freemen's oath; the next was an almanac made for New England by Mr. William Pierce, mariner; the next was the Psalms newly turned into verse," known as the Bay Psalm Book. (The Harvard Crimson)
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The Massachusetts Law of 1642 required that caregivers (parents, masters, etc.) ensure that the children under their care acquire basic literacy skills, so as to comprehend (and abide by) the principles of religion and the civic laws of the Commonwealth.
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In light of the widespread failure of heads of household to see to the basic education of their children and wards, the Massachusetts Law of 1647 (The Old Deluder Act) decreed that all towns with more than 50 families must hire a school mater to teach the children to read and write. This marked the shift from the individual responsibility for education to a civic one. This law eventually led to the creation of publically funded schools.
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Published in December of 1689, Locke's Two Treatises of Civil Government argues that sovereignty resides in the individual and expounds on the nature of legitimate government in terms of natural rights and the social contract. His ideas strongly influenced the authors of the Declaration of Independence.
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In 1729, Benjamin Franklin took over publication of The Pennsylvania Gazette, which went on to become the most successful newspaper in the colonies.
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According to the National Humanities Center, in 1750 New England, almost 70 percent of white men and 45 percent of white women could read; in the southern colonies, the rates were slightly lower, with about 50-60 percent of men and 40 percent of women literate.
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Rousseau's ideas have influenced educational, political, and social theory. Émile, his treatise on education, centered on a students’ moral character and the development of civic awareness and responsibility. ‘The noblest work in education is to make a reasoning man, and we expect to train a young child by making him reason! This is beginning at the end; this is making an instrument of a result. If children understood how to reason they would not need to be educated.” (Rousseau, Emile)
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The cotton gin facilitated the mass production of cotton by automating the separation of cottonseed from the raw cotton fibers. This contributed to the industrialization of the textile industry.
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Cotton Gin was invented by Eli Whitney. Child Labor began to be an increasing fad
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Also called the Divine Destiny, or Westward movement. Many families traveled to the west coast.
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The first public high school opened in Boston, MA in 1821. Although its locations has moved over the years, the school is still in existence today.
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Stated that any European efforts to colonize or interfere with the US would be seen as an act of aggression. Allowing Americans seperation from Europe and start their own culture
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new england unions condemned child labor
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Democratic party use Westward expansion as a reason for War against Mexico.
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Led many settlers west to Orangan's Williamette Valley.
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Allowed people to purchase 160 acres of Plains land. Allowed for homesteads to be formed once again.
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John Quincy Adams opposes Minifest Destiny due to the involved expansion of slavery in Texas.
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Treaty created a settlemnt over the Northern boundary of Oregan
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Gold found in Sutter's Mill moved thousands from the East to California.
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Attempted to lesses pre war tensions, admitted California to statehood.
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Act divided 2.5 million acres of plots divided into 160 acre units.
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Founded the National Child Labor Committee, which worked to give children an equal right to education and minimal labor.
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She was assigned to the children's rights department and began implemting children labor laws.
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Abbott tried to amend the constitution to include laws limiting child labor, Brought fourth the New Deal legislation which regulated the labor of children under sixteen.
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A survey of 150 school districts reveals that three quarters of them are used so-called intelligence testing to place students in different academic tracks.
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At the end of World War 2, the G.I. Bill of Rights gives thousands of working class men college scholarships for the first time in U.S. History.
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Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. The Supreme Court unanimously agrees that segregated schools are unequal and most be abolished.
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