Common School Movement

The common school movement is a term used to describe an educational reform movement that was influenced by a variety of economic, social, and political elements after the Civil War, during the 1830s and 1840s. This movement first occurred in schools located in the northern and midwestern parts of the United States, with expansion following into the southern and western parts by the start of the 20th century. The common school movement served as the impetus of what we know today as the American educational system.

Ideology of the Common School Movement

The foundation of this ideology was strongly based around Republican, capitalist, and Protestant Anglo-American values and culture. Advocates claimed that a common school education would solve economic, political, and social problems. They argued that the ...

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