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Noah Webster
He was the father of the American textbook. He wanted to instill a sense of being American into the young people of the new country. It is now the dictionary we use today. -
Thomas Jefferson establishes the University of Virginia
Jefferson fought for many years to establish free public education for the masses. His fight culminated in the establishment of the University of Virginia, but he also put the thought out that free public education should be made available for both rich and poor. -
Harriet Beecher created Western Female Institute
Beecher suggested that teaching become a profession for women. She made it okay for young women to leave their family home in order to go work where they were needed in the west. She changed the teaching profession to one of a more nurturing role and answered the question where qualified teachers would come from amongst groups of new settlers in the west. -
Horace Mann Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education
He took education very seriously and went small town to town in order to gain the insight he could into the current conditions of education. Mann started the common school movement where he standardized everything for public schools. He established many things we currently associate with the American classroom. He created a free school for poor students that was good enough to bring wealthy students back from private schooling. -
Benjamin Roberts sued Boston public schools for segregation
Roberts established the case that school segregation is not equal nor tolerable. He lost in the city of Boston, but the Massachusetts Supreme Court sided with Roberts and passed the first case ruling segregated schools not legal and allowing for desegregation. Much of the country and the US Supreme Court followed in suit.