Essay
During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, the West of the United States was booming with business and opportunity. Due to increasing population, there was a high demand for some form of education for young people. This was when the idea of Frontier Schools was introduced. Frontier Schools were publicly funded schools housed in one room buildings. One particular school in 1884 had 179 students, and only four teachers to keep them in order. By 1897 this same school had expanded to three buildings, 674 students, and 15 employees. These schools typically received funding from three places; the tax levy on property, the school district, and what was known as the “special tax”. There were two major contributing factors to the success of Frontier Schools; good teachers within a communal atmosphere and the Homestead Act.
With the expansion of education, there was a much higher demand for teachers. Right around the same time as the educational expansion, an act was passed called the Homestead Act. The act brought fourth a three-fold homestead acquisition process which enabled any United States Citizen, women included, to legally own a plot of land. This was a game changer for young women who wanted to become independent. In the past women had always needed a man to do anything legally, but with this act they were given the opportunity to do something remarkable on their own. The act required one to file for an application, improve the land, and file the title of the deed. This act was the main reasoning behind a large majority of women moving across the country to the west, to become teachers.
Despite the fact that schools were becoming more accessible, in 1883 forty-five percent of all school age children still did not attend school in Montana. Frontier schools were much more than just schools, they were a community of parents, teachers, administrators, and students. In 1884 education reformer Edwin Hewlett had this to say about the idea of a scholarly community; “ Having teachers and pupils gather on Saturday and clean the schoolhouse is not a bad one. It furnishes a good deal of fun, and at the same time gives pupils a sense of responsibility.” To further the community involvement on schools even more, the schools began publishing the honor rolls in the local newspaper. The schools were also a home for the teachers, parents of students provided food and clothing to the teachers and also kept up with the meals. There was a stove located in the schoolhouse for the teachers to cook their meals. The schools also held spelling bees and debates against other schools to rally the community together.
Frontier Schools are the foundation of public schools as we know them today. Public schools are still based off of governmental funding and serve their community as a free opportunity for education. The strong teaching foundation Frontier Schools set is still alive in schools today. The two major contributing factors to the success of Frontier Schools were good teachers within a communal atmosphere and the Homestead Act.
Sources
1) PBS Frontier LifeI used this source to find the main description of frontier schools and develop my basis of knowledge about my topic. I also found their quotes from scholars to be useful insight. I also discovered statistics about these schools.
2) Library of Congress: The Clark School for Concentration
I used the information in this article to form a contrast for the public schools I have been learning about. This ad for a private predatory school has some very interesting ideals about teachers and students which greatly differ from the ideals I found in public schools.
3) Library of Congress Annual Report
I used this source to gain a deeper understanding of the financial breakdown of public frontier schools.
4) Library of Congress Honor Rolls
This source is interesting proof of the publication of honor rolls in local newspapers.
5) Library of Congress Teacher Sketches
I used this source to further my knowledge about the backgrounds of the people employed at the frontier schools. I learned that the employees were highly qualified, and picked from the best group of prospects possible.
6) Library of Congress Lieutenant- Governor Speech
This is an article I found about a Governor speaking out on his beliefs about education and free schooling.
7) Google Books- Joseph Sayers
This is a book I found which give a little bit of background knowledge about the governor speaking in the article above. This book does not directly relate to frontier schools, but it provided necessary information for me to grasp the essence of Joseph Sayers. For this reason, I did not make any notecards for this source.
8) Library of Congress- History of Graded Schools
In this source I went deeper into the understanding of the breakdown of the schools; administration and financial.
9) National Archives: The Homestead Act of 1862
I searched for the Homestead Act because it was referenced in one of my other sources and I wanted to learn more info about it. This source provides a brief background and overall description of the Homestead Act.
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