Reflection Paper #17

The difference between education now and education in the New England Colonies is so different. The differences are such that it is hard to believe that once upon a time there was religion in pubic schools and morality was alive. The similarities were that the goal was to prepare the students for participation in civil service. The Puritans had a lot to do with education and morality in the 17th Century in America. The first set of Puritans came in the Mayflower; they came to America because they became very unhappy with the church in England. They believed that each person was responsible for their actions to God therefore they needed to be good all the time so they were worthy of being on God’s chosen list. They believed that the education of the future generation was important in order to purify the church and society. The Bible was their learning tool and they were encouraged to make up poetry based on religious content only. In 1635, the Puritans offered free schooling the school was called the Roxbury Latin School. The early schools of the colonies were known as Latin schools or public schools and these schools in their beginnings were not entirely free. These “free schools” did collect some sort of fee except from the poorest students. The schools in the early 17th Century focused education on effective and functional means. In America the challenge has been to prepare the students for participation in the world and preparation for civil service. Education became so important that the colonies started setting aside parcels of land for buildings to build schools and to educate the future generations to come.