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American Education Timeline
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Period: to
American Education Timeline
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First Free School
The first free school in Virginia opens. (However, education in the Southern colonies is more typically provided at home or by parents.) -
Harvard
The first higher education institution in what is now the United States, is established in Newtowne (now Cambridge), Massachusetts. -
Second Oldest Secondary School
Hartford Public High School opens in Hartford Connecticut. -
School Law
The Massachusetts Bay School Law is passed. This law ensures that their children know the principles of religion and the capital laws of the commonwealth. -
New England Primer
The first New England Primer is printed in Boston. It becomes widely-used in schoolbook in New England. -
Ursuline Academy of New Orleans.
The Ursuline Academy of New Orleans is founded. A catholic school for girls sponsored by Sisters of the Order in Saint Ursula, it is "the oldest continuously operating school for girls and the oldest Catholic school in the United States.". -
English Academy
Benjamin Franklin helps to establish the first "English Academy" in Philadelphia with a curriculum that is both classical and modern, including such courses as history, geography, navigation, surveying, and modern as well as classical languages. The academy ultimately becomes the University of Pennsylvania. -
A Grammatical Institute of the English Language.
Because of his dissatisfaction with English textbooks of the day, Noah Webster writes A Grammatical Institute of the English Language , consisting of three volumes: a spelling book, a grammar book, and a reader. They become very widely used throughout the United States. In fact, the spelling volume, later renamed the American Spelling Book and often called the Blue-Backed Speller, has never been out of print! -
Land Ordinance of 1785
The Land Ordinance of 1785 specifies that the western territories are to be divided into townships made up of 640-acre sections, one of which was to be set aside "for the maintenance of public schools." -
The Young Ladies Academy.
The Young Ladies Academy opens in Philadelphia and becomes the first academy for girls in the original 13 colonies/states. -
Bill 79: "A Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge"
Thomas Jefferson authors Bill 79: "A Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge," which provides "a comprehensive plan for public education . . ." It is presented in the Virginia House of Delegates several times before a revised bill titled, "An Act to Establish Public Education," is finally passed in 1796. -
The University of North Carolina.
On December 11, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly. It is the only public university to award degrees in the 18th century. -
Boston English High School.
One of the first public high schools open. -
Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky appoints the first school superintendent. -
Department of Education.
The Department of Education is created in order to help states establish effective school systems. -
Boston.
Boston creates the first public day school for the deaf. -
Meharry Medical College.
Meharry Medical College is founded in Nashville, Tennessee. It is the first medical school in the south for African Americans. -
Great Depression.
The Great Depression begins with the stock market crash in October. The U.S. economy is devastated. Public education funding suffers greatly, resulting in school closings, teacher layoffs, and lower salaries. -
ACT Test.
The ACT Test is first administered. -
October 21.
On October 21, a 13-year-old student arrives on the campus of Sparks, Nevada middle school armed with a handgun. He wounds two 12-year old boys and kills a teacher who was trying to protect other students before he turns the gun on himself and takes his own life.