The Good Education of Youth

In 1749, Benjamin Franklin published his educational call to arms, Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pensilvania. In it, Franklin set forth a radically new template for educating students, one that stressed social utility, secular independence, and an English language-based curriculum. This slim pamphlet led to the creation of the University of Pennsylvania. But what were schools like in the early Delaware Valley? Who received an education; how was it financed; and where...
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In 1749, Benjamin Franklin published his educational call to arms, Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pensilvania. In it, Franklin set forth a radically new template for educating students, one that stressed social utility, secular independence, and an English language-based curriculum. This slim pamphlet led to the creation of the University of Pennsylvania. But what were schools like in the early Delaware Valley? Who received an education; how was it financed; and where did it occur? Who were the teachers; and what was taught? The essays in this collection seek to answer these questions by looking in detail at Franklin's projects for education alongside educational plans by and for the populations of Pennsylvania and the region from the colonial era through the early national period. These essays relate and respond to an exhibition prepared by the University of Pennsylvania Libraries in 2006, and the full catalogue of the exhibition is included in this volume. Drawing on the collections of the University of Pennsylvania, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and other Philadelphia-area libraries, museums, and schools, the exhibition surveys the educational landscape of the period and provides a vital context for understanding the importance, originality, and ongoing relevance of Franklin's vision. It includes full color reproductions of original documents, printed books, and artifacts, as well as a brief illustrated essay by Lynne Farrington on The Friendly Instructor, a newly rediscovered Franklin imprint concerning education. An accompanying photographic essay assembles images of numerous surviving school buildings in the Delaware Valley.