Blog #7

 

During colonial times, the disparity in educational opportunity for colonialists in the southern, middle, and New England British colonies was apparent. The south suffered a very low literacy rate, due in part to the harsh socioeconomic divide between its denizens. While there were wealthy plantation owners who could afford private tutoring, the majority of citizens were either unable to pay for similar educational services. On top of a general lack of education services, the southern colonies tended to focus more on training the next generation to continue operating farms. There was little enough need for reading when agriculture was what kept their families fed. The remaining people living in the south were enslaved Africans who were denied education altogether. The middle colonies saw similar trends of low literacy rates, with wealthier families receiving better access to educational resources.

The trend is broken by the New England colonies, which tended to emphasize literacy skills a bit more. Many of the NE colonies were largely religious-- primarily Protestant-- and as such used literacy skills as a means for furthering their faith. Because of this, basic literacy skills were provided through religious institutions. However, in spite of this, holistic education was not widely available, and the available avenues for education still left much to be desired. The needs for education would eventually lead to the development of a public education system more reflective of the modern system.