Education In The Chesapeake Colonies

Education in the Chesapeake Colonies

By Joseph Parish

Education within the colonies fluctuated according to the region under discussion, and the social class of the inhabitants. Each section of the colonies maintained certain principles which it emphasized for educational necessities. Schools within the New England Colonies were predominantly based upon religious convictions, whereas those of the Chesapeake Colonies were more aligned with practical knowledge, advantageous towards plantation management and crop production. Growing tobacco was a time-consuming project leaving little time for educational pursuits. Children’s education was undertaken by the family members, which often left formal education by the wayside. Plantations were commonly substantial enterprises with no appropriate urban center nearby for establishing a school, so families had to do their best to teach their children the three basic skills. If the plantation owner was wealthy enough, he might hire tutors or establish a dame school on the plantation for the families and their children. In comparison to modern day, these schools would be equal to our modern-day care centers. In such an environment, a woman would teach the subjects as she went about her normal chores for the day.

In most cases this was the only formal education afforded the young girls of the colony. Naturally, it was deemed more appropriate that the boys be educated rather than the girls. This concept fell back upon the old belief that girls did not need a proper education to perform within their role as homemaker, mother and wife. Any training provided to the girls involved learning household skills like cooking, gardening, nursing and sewing. The colony frequently placed more emphasis upon apprenticeships and practical information, than upon the traditional school subjects. The boys at the age of 12, would begin to learn the skills of a specific trade through an apprentice, while the wealthiest families would send their young men to a community school to learn the general educational subjects. For their advanced education the wealthy plantation owners would elect to send their sons to a fine European school as a means of finalizing their education. Children born within the lower classes would only receive a minimal amount of basic education, with stress being placed on apprenticeship programs and practical skills. These programs would last anywhere from 3–10 years.

The children who attended school used quill pens and inkwells to write with. Their “Hornbooks” were the early predecessor to our modern textbook. The hornbooks used in class contained the alphabet, numbers, various poems and rhymes, and bits and pieces of other useful information. The hornbook was made of wood and shaped similar to a paddle. The lessons written on parchment were then attached to it.

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