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During the early 1600s, the Puritans founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Because of their religious beliefs, a new importance was placed on literacy. Education became more important so that people could read and understand religious texts.
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The Puritans established Harvard College as a means to educate religious leaders. Harvard became the first institution of higher education and is currently the oldest university in America. This act also set in motion the establishment of nine fellow colleges - including Yale and Princeton - whose mission was to educate religious leaders. -
Massachusetts enacts a law which mandates that all towns of 50 families or more establish a school. -
Prior to the Revolutionary War, Cotton Mather and his father Increase Mather are some of the very first leaders of Harvard University. They would later help establish Yale University - thus creating what we know today as the "Ivy League."
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The "SPG's" mission was to make sure that colonial men did not drift from the Anglican Church. They were especially worried about the growing influence of the Pilgrams and the Puritans. The efforts of the group were largely bereft of results and, in fact, lead to more people turning toward the Pilgrams and Puritans.
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From 1692-1693, over 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft - 20 of which were executed. This took place in Colonial Massachusetts and it gives us insight into what people believed in during this time period. -
Due in large part to the influence and direction of the Mather family, Yale University is established in New Haven, Connecticut. -
Dame schools, or schools where women were allowed to teach children, started to appear during the early 18th century. This brought women into the teaching occupation and paved the way for women to have bigger roles in a male-dominant economy. -
The Great Awakening was a period of religious revival. This created a throng of new schools who placed a greater importance on literacy so that students could read and better understand religious texts.
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The New York African Free School was opened by the Manumission Society. Its mission was to provide education to free Black children. The society sought to educate children to be free of the "vices of their parents."