History of womans education
History of womans educationAmerican education started just as quickly as the settlers came to their "new
world" however, until fairly recently, education has been predominantly male. Females were denied almost every right as a citizen, they could not hold property, could not vote, could not receive an education. Females were confined to the house to serve their father or husband, who owned them. There have been many pioneers for women's education. A few will be presented in this paper. They are: Emma Hart Willard, Olivia Slocum Sage, and Mary Lyon.
Emma Hart's education started when she was a very small girl, it is possible that her father, Samuel Hart, could have squashed her inquizitiveness when it was just beginning to ripen. On the contrary, he encouraged it. He had a very libral frame of mind in his day, and he educated his little girl as much as he could. When Emma was twelve she started to teach herself geometry, a study previously thought incapable for a female mind. Her father helped her study and even engaged her in philosophical discussions. When Emma was in her late teens she first attended, then eventually taught at several "girls academies" which were finishing schools. In 1809 at the age of twenty two, she married Dr. John Willard. It was at this time she stopped her teaching and focused on being a wife and mother to John's children and her own baby.
Soon Emma Hart Willard got her fire back. This occured when she began
reading the books John's eldest son brought home from college. Her feelings towards female education were rejuvinated. In 1812, the bank that John was the director of was robbed, leaving Emma and John in a bit of financial trouble. Partly to recieve additional income and partly to satisfy herself Emma asked John if she could open a school for young women in their own home. John hesitated at first, but he then approved her plan. She began teaching girls "higher" subjects, mostly mathematics, which had not been introduced to women before this time. She formulated her ideas in to a draft called, "A Plan for Improving Female Education" which she revised many times. One of the most distinguished of Emma ideas was the institution she invisioned as not a private academy, which many of already had existed, however it was a public seminary supervised by a board of men just as the best men's schools were governed.
She desired for her...
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