Dane County WI Archives History - Schools .....A Brief Treatment Of Early Wisconsin Educational History, Chapter 1 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/wi/wifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 April 13, 2009, 7:24 pm CHAPTER ONE A Brief Treatment of Early Wisconsin Educational History It was in the year 1848 that Wisconsin was admitted into the Union as a state. Before that time, from 1818 to 1836, Wisconsin formed part of Michigan Territory, When Michigan became a state in I837, Wisconsin, then embracing what is now Minnesota, Iowa, and a considerable region still further westward, was, by a Congressional act (approved April 20 of the year previous) established as a separate territory. This act provided that the existing laws of the Michigan Territory should be extended over this Wisconsin Territory, Thus, with other statutes, Michigan's school code was formally adopted with almost no change by Wisconsin's first territorial legislature meeting in 1836 at Belmont in Iowa County, then the capital. Although modified in some of its provisions almost every year, this imperfect code continued in force until 1848. In 1840, though, a message to Congress was sent from the legislature, stating that people were anxious to establish a common-school system with suitable resources for its support. From lack of funds, the few existing common schools were poorly organized, A rate-bill tax or private subscription was often necessary to supplement the scanty results of county taxation. Until a state governmant should be organized, the fund accruing from the sale of school lands could not be available. Congress had given to new states a donation of land for educational purposes. These lands embraced the 16th section in every township in a state. To obtain the benefit of this large fund was a leading object in forming the State Constitution. Shortly before the admission of Wisconsin as a state, the subject of free common schools began to be widely discussed. In February of 1845, Col. M. Frank of Kenosha, a member of the territorial legislature, introduced a bill which became a law, authorizing the legal voters of his town to vote taxes of all assessed property for the full support of its school, A provision of the act required its submission to the people of the town. It met with strenuous opposition, but later in 1845, the act was ratified by a small majority. Thus, the first free school was organized in Wisconsin Territory, But it was not until 1848, when Wisconsin was admitted to the Union with boundaries set as they are today, that the new State Constitution laid the broad foundation for a system of free common schools to be supported by taxation, a school fund to be derived from five distinct sources, and a state superintendent of public instruction. Children between the ages of four and twenty would receive free schooling. For a decade and beyond, all children were still not in school. In 1858 State Superintendent Draper reported that one third of Wisconsin's youngsters did not attend any school, and for those who did, the average school year was 5 3/5 months. Many people were ardent in their support of public education at this school level, but in practice the principle took hold slowly. One must remember that Wisconsin at this early period was pioneer country. School houses had to be built, educational materials set up, and teachers trained. One innovation in which Wisconsin could take pride was the nation's first kindergarten, begun by Mrs. Carl Schurz in Watertown in 1856 with German-speaking children of that area in attendance. Wisconsin's 18U8 Constitution also provided for a state university. Even as far back as 1836, Governor Dodge, in his message to the first territorial legislature, recommended asking Congress for the establishment, of a state educational institution to be governed by the state legislature, such institution to be located at Belmont. At its second session the following year on January 19, 1838, the legislature passed an act to establish at or near Madison, the new seat of government, the University of the Territory of Wisconsin. Yet no effectual provision was made until ten years later in 1848 when Wisconsin became a state. The 1848 Constitution declared that the proceeds of the lands donated by the United States to the state for the University's support should remain in perpetual fund, the interest of which should be appropriated to its support. The University was thus organized with John H. Lathrop as its first chancellor and John W. Sterling as principal of the preparatory department, which opened February 5, 1849. Trouble ensued because funds for the new institution were wholly inadequate. The first building was not completed until 1851. The University graduated its first class of two young men in 1854. With the establishment of common schools, a state superintendent of public instruction, and a state university, Wisconsin's public educational system began to take form in the early 1850's. New settlers arriving from the East were shocked at the conditions that they found in the schools in this mid-century period. Many of these settlers brought with them the advantages of higher education and previous business and political experience which they found useful in the West, Their roots were no more than planted in the virgin soil when, side by side with their churches, they began work to provide the best educational facilities for their children. Public high schools had not yet even been thought of for secondary education. The fact that the state legislature in the early 50's chartered about fifty academies indicated a strong desire of these pioneers to rely upon academies as the agency for academic or secondary education. Able leaders of religious groups had even founded some academies and colleges before 1850. The 1848 Constitution had also given some support to these by proposing, next to the support of common schools, that the interest on the school fund should be applied to such academies and to proposed normal schools that would prepare teachers, Listed below are some of the early Wisconsin academies and colleges with the date of their founding, their location, and their original denominational affiliation. Milton Academy 1844 Milton Seventh Day Baptist In 1867, its name was changed to Milton College Carroll College 1846 Waukesha Presbyterian St. Clara's Academy 1847 Sinsinawa Catholic Lawrence College 1847 Appleton Methodist Beloit College 1847 Beloit Presbyterian and Congregational Mt. Mary College 1850 Milwaukee Catholic Ripon College 1851 Ripon Congregational Racine College 1852 Racine Espiscopal Downer College 1853 Milwaukee Presbyterian and Congregational Albion Academy 1853 Albion Seventh Day Baptist In addition there were others of lesser rank. Many of these early sectarian institutions later dropped their close connections with the church that founded them. Some leaders, saw the need for education that went beyond the various religious concerns of the people. The State University was one response to this need. Provision for the instruction of teachers was embodied in the l81i8 Constitution itself. One of the four departments of the University was to prepare teachers in the theory and practice of elementary education. The first normal school so chartered by the legislature at its second session in 1849 was the Jefferson County Normal School. This institution, however, was never organized. Little was accomplished in the next ten years in the normal department of the University and the setting up of normal schools. In 1857 an act was passed by the legislature appropriating 25% of the income of the swamp-land fund to normal institutes and academies under the supervision of a board of regents for normal schools* Distribution of this income was made to such as maintained a normal class in proportion to the number of students passing a successful examination conducted by the agent of the board. Dr. Henry Barnard, who had become Chancellor of the University, was made agent of the normal regents. He inaugurated a system of teachers' institutes and gave fresh vigor to the normal work of the state, but resigned because of ill health within two years. Prof. Charles H. Allen, who had been conducting institutes under Dr. Barnard's direction, succeeded him as agent and was elected principal of the normal department of the University in l864. He managed the department with signal success until his resignation two years later. In the meantime, the educational sentiment of the state had manifested itself for the establishment of separate normal schools for preparation of teachers. Platteville Normal School opened October 9, 1866; Whitewater, April 21, 1868; Oshkosh, September 19, l871; River Falls, September 2, 1875. Others soon followed. Tuition was free to all normal school students. Two courses of study were offered- a two-year elementary course resulting in a certificate, whose holder after successfully teaching one year and then countersigned by the state superintendent, was entitled to a five years' state certificate; and an advanced four-year course resulting in a diploma, whose holder after a like interval, when countersigned, was entitled to a permanent state certificate. In addition to the normal schools, the board of regents authorized expenditures to defray the cost of teachers' institutes. These were held throughout the state, varying in length from one to two weeks. Academies for almost two decades were an educational source of supply of teachers for the common schools. When the state normal school came as a distinct institution, it was in fact but the academy transformed for the purpose of supplying teachers. Many of the early public school teachers were trained in Wisconsin's private colleges rather than in the normal schools. Although most people eventually, and sometimes grudgingly, accepted the idea of, public support for elementary education, they had to be convinced all over again when the issue of tax-supported high schools was proposed for secondary education. Many insisted that private academies were available for those who could afford to attend, and some of their supporters even contended that public high schools were unconstitutional. By 18?3, about thirty Wisconsin cities provided some tax-supported schooling beyond the 8th grade, but not untii 1875, after vigorous challenge, did Wisconsin law provide for the establishment of free high schools. [1] Toward the close of the century, the academy as an educational institution moved into its decline. Many of the smaller, lesser-known academies had never functioned as true secondary schools. They ceased to exist with the improvement of the common schools for elementary education. When the idea of tax-supported high schools for secondary education was finally accepted, the academy suffered a serious setback. Parents took advantage of free high-school training for their children rather than pay tuition, room, and board at academies. The high school was "the academy brought into the public school system. With the increase of wealth and the growth of higher education, the better endowed of the academies, especially those founded by individuals or churches, managed to survive and remain so today as important college preparatory schools. From this point of view, the high school is a recurrence to the democratic type which the academy had abandoned. The academy was the product of the frontier period of national development and the laissez faire theory of government. When these conditions departed, the academy gave place to the high school as the predominant secondary school of the American people." [2]. In its day of prominence, the academy as an educational institution served Wisconsin's early statehood most ably. Footnotes [1] History of Dane County, Wisconsin, Chicago, Western Historical Company, 1880, pp. 140-148. 2. E. E. B., I. L. D., and W. H. K., Cyclopedia of Education, (New York, Macmillan, 1915), vol. 1. Additional Comments: Extracted from: A History of Albion Academy 1853-1918 Svea M. Adolphson Published By Rock County Rehabilitation Services, Inc. Beloit, Wisconsin 1976 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/wi/dane/history/schools/abrieftr63nms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/wifiles/ File size: 13.0 Kb