Many people wonder: Which nation inspired the US K-12 public education program? This article will explore the evolution of the US educational system. The first step is to look at the history of US education. Before this system evolved, there was a centralized educational system that was supported by state governments. In the 19th century, states began subsidizing private schools to improve public education. By the 1870s, many states were experimenting with common-school reform. Primary schooling in the North became co-educational. It was during this period that rote learning became an important part of school life. A compulsory school law was passed before the Civil War, although it was not enforced.
In the early 1600s, the Pilgrims and Puritans settled in New England. They fled Europe during the Protestant reformation, and in response, the Massachusetts Bay Colony implemented a public education system. Puritans embraced Latin schools, which used the Bible as a teaching medium. By 1870, all states had tax-subsidized elementary schools. The US had the highest literacy rate of any country at the time, but education in rural areas was sporadic.
In the late 1800s, the US education system was largely segregated by race. In the South, for example, there were only a few free black schools, and early integration of schools was met with fierce opposition. By the time of the Civil War, most black children had little access to formal education. However, after the Civil War, some free blacks in the North became literate.
Which nation inspired the US K-12 public education system
