It basically depended upon where you lived. A book called Albion's Seed by
David Hackett Fischer describes 4 ways of British immigration in America.
They included:
1. Massachusetts: most of its people came from East Anglia, a high literacy
area.
2. Virginia: most came from rural south and west of England with a much
lower literacy rate.
3. Delaware:
4. the "backcountry": Pennsylvania, North Carolina and others. They were
from Ireland and Scotland and followed specific practices such as Quakers.
In Massachusetts, about 2/3 of the men and 1/3 of the women were able to
sign their wills. By 1760, literacy had risen above 84% for men and 50% for
women. Harvard University was founded in 1636.
In Virginia, the literacy rate was lower. However William and Mary College
was established in 1690, the second university to be established in America.
In Virginia, "literacy was an instrument of wealth and power." Most
Virginians were unable to sign their names. Among the gentry, literacy
approached 100%. But of male property holders, only about 50% were able to
write. Among tenants and laborers, that proportion fell to about 40%.
Women in VA could read if they were gentry but most could not sign their
names. This situation was deliberately contrived by Virginia's elite who
feared learning among the general population. Governor William Berkeley
said: "I thank God there are no free schools nor printing, and I hope we
shall not have these [for a] hundred years; for learning has brought
disobedience, and heresy, and sects into the world, and printing has
divulged them, and libels against the best government." (p 347)
The elite hired private tutors for the young, sponsored schools of high
quality for their children but did not include children from the general
population.
The Quakers in Delaware favored literacy but feared learning. They tended
to feel that "much reading is an oppression of the mind, and extinguishes
the natural candle, which is the reason of so many senseless scholars in the
world." Their literacy rate was between Mass. And VA.
Those in the backcountry had the lowest literacy rates even up to the 20th
century.
Cynthia McDaniel
-----Original Message-----
From: Research and writing about Virginia genealogy and family history.
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Janice Friel
Sent: Monday, July 23, 2012 9:30 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VA-ROOTS] Schools
Does anyone know if there were schools for children in the late 1600s and
early 1700s?
Janice
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html
To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at
http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html
|
