How Did Horace Mann Contribute To Public Education

Reinvention of Public Education

Imagine only going to school a few weeks out of the year, or not even going at all. Some people nowadays would be thrilled at the thought of this, but Horace Mann had a different idea. Horace Mann, the father of education, helped make a change to a failing education system in the Industrial Revolution. Public education was not a very popular thing during the 1800’s. Most children did not attend school or the families could not afford the private schooling. Horace Mann, once being one of those many children, decided to take a stance as an adult. He struggled through bad education growing up, excelled as an adult in schooling, got involved in government, and created a brilliant group of rules for better schooling

He was purely self taught. Being born into poverty his family could not afford schooling. Mann grew up in Franklin, Massachusetts where as a young boy he studied books at the Franklin town library (“Horace Mann Biography”). He also had a man named Samuel Barrett tutor him in Greek and Latin. This can just show his passion for education started at young age. When Mann turned twenty years old he was admitted into Brown University. There he studied politics, education, and social reform. At his graduation he even gave a speech on how education, philanthropy, and republicanism could help mankind flourish (“Horace Mann Biography”). So even though one of the most educationally, influential men in the industrial revolution did not have a proper education growing up he still pursued his abilities and helped change public

His views on education were numerous but were described in six principles (“Horace Mann Biography”). First, it is impossible for someone to be ignorant and free. For Mann, it was crucial that an active citizen in a democracy could be educated at every level necessary to appropriately participate in the process of government. Second, the public should pay for, maintain, and control public education. This was a basic democratic idea. If education is the avenue for advancement, it belongs in the hands of those seeking advancement. Thirdly, children should be given education no matter the religion, race, or background of the child. He felt they should be embraced no matter their home life. This fourth law somewhat ties into the third law because he explains how the system must absolutely be “nonsectarian”. This means no links to any political or religious group. His fifth law was that the schools must be brought up by the beliefs of a free society. Now his sixth and final law, he expresses how the educators must be well educated and dedicated to the system as well, in order to teach them correctly (Mann, Horace 16) These six laws set the bar very high for many people across the nation, but that is what made Mann