Table Of ContentfEB DEVBXXJ^MLI-rr OF THE SUBXJX SCHOOL SYSTEM
m X3DXAKA FROM 1840 THROUGH 1870
by
EVERETT Em JAKBOK
Submitted in partial fulfillm ent of the
requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Education, In the
School of Education,
In& iana Bn i ver si by
August, 1949
ProQuest Number: 10295223
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Accepted by the facu lty of the School of Education
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i
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fo r the degree of Doctor of V acation*
Idre c t or" *o f1 T?he eT
D octorate C oam ittee^fi^zf58-^-
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PREPACK
This study attempts to treat the h istory of education
In Indiana in a d ifferen t manner than that to which It has
been h ith erto subjected* Studies have been made concerning
the development of academ ies, the development of curricula,
and other sim ilar problems, but in th is th esis an attempt is
being made to show the development of a free tax-supported
public school system as a complete system of schools*
In using source m aterials concerning early Indiana, we
have been lim ited largely to early newspapers, le g isla tiv e
journals, documentary journals, and to the meager supply of
the origin al le tte r s and manuscripts of leaders of that day
which have survived to th is date* BooneTs H istory of Educa
tion in Indiana and Esarey*s H istory of Indiana have been of
value In giving clues as to types of m aterial which could be
found*
The main part of th is study Is lim ited to that period
in Indiana h istory extending from 1840 through 1870: in the -j
18401s agitation in favor of a free tax-supported public 1
school system blossomed forth; In the 18501s a new con stitu
tion was adopted and many of the educational provisions coming
out of the new constitution were n u llified ; in the 1860*s ed
ucational leaders labored to rebuild the system which was
v irtu a lly destroyed by the adverse Supreme Court D ecisions*
It Is our b e lie f that by 1870 the free tax-supported public
school system in Indiana was firm ly established and the basic
i l l
philosophy underlying i t was firm ly rooted*
It Is clearly recognized here that newspaper accounts
are not always relia b le sources of factu al data* However,
In th is th e sis, such accounts are used mainly to portray the
public opinion and where used otherwise are eith er supple
mented by other sources or represent the only available source
of the data in question*
This study w ill, It Is hoped, give Its readers a
clearer and deeper sense of appreciation for the school sys
tem of the state and w ill explain why the system now contains
some factors which many people b elieve to be unwise.
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page
I* EARLY ATTEMPTS AT FORMING A COMMON SCHOOL
SYSTEM* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
I I . THE AGITATION FOR AN IMPROVED COMMON SCHOOL
SYSTEM* . . . . . . . , . . . . . . . . . . . g?
I I I . EDUCATION UNDER THE NEW CONSTITUTION. . . . 109
IF. REBUILDING THE: COMMON SCHOOL SYSTEM . . . , 154
F. SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
BIBLIOGRAPHY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
v
om nm n i
BAft&Y A Tll'MPTS AT FQHMISO A COMMON SCHOOL 3TOTOO
The follow ing study deal® mainly with that period in
Indiana h istory beginning ten years prior to tine drafting of
the new con stitu tion in 1651 and extending through two dec
ades after its adoption* Wo attempt i® stade to ^iw© in de
ta il a ll of the leg isla tio n pertaining to education which
was enacted during the early years of statehood, nor to lis t
a ll of the educational ©vents; to do so would require much
more extensive treatment than can be undertaken at th is ti<^©*
A mere sketch of the educational picture as it developed in
Indiana before the 1840* s is or©seated here* Prom that
point on a more exhaustive account of the c r itic a l days sur
rounding the b irth and growing pain® of the Free Common School
System 1® undertaken#
The C onstitution of 1816, adopted when Indiana was
admitted to statehood, included forward-looking provisions
for education# These, however, because of fin an cial d if f i
c u ltie s, indifference on the part of the public, and a lack
of aggressive leadership, were never adequately carried into
effect u n til after the adoption of the C onstitution of 1851*
In order to understand th is belated development and the ag
ita tio n for free public schools, wMcb received so much a t
tention around the middle of the nineteenth century, i t w ill
be help fu l to trace the educational prowth of cosier
2
State through the ter r ito r ia l days and the early days of
statehood*
Baring the la tter part of the eighteenth century,
Indiana was a part, of the Northwest ‘territory* Aa th is re
gion began to develop and before any sta tes were formed from
i t , Indiana was erected into a separate territory in 1800*
As a territo ry , Indiana was subject to Federal gov
ernmental regulation* Two enactments of th is period had a
profound e ffe c t upon educational p o licies which developed In
the state* The Congress of the Confederation passed the Or
dinance of 1785 estab lish in g a land policy for the Northwest,
Including what is now Indiana* The provision of th is ordi
nance which m&Bt d irectly influenced education in the te r r i
tory la a® follow ®t "There sh all be reserved the lo t T410 of
every township for the maintenance of public schools within
the said township* • * • "* The money derived, from the sales
and rentals of these school lands provided the main source of
revenue for public education for many years* This regulation
was given added moral support two year® la ter hv the Ordi
nance of 1787 which sta ted , In A rticle I I I , "R eligion, moral
ity , and knowledge, being necessary to good government and
the happiness of mankind, sch ools, and the means of education,
^ ’Land Ordinance of 1785," in The. T e rrito ria l Papers
of the On 1 ted S ta tes, edited, by C*E* Charter , tt #f.* Government
PrIntTng"'Wtl%ce?yf&BixIngton, i>*0#, 1934, v* i* 2, pp* 15-15*
3
Shall forever he encouraged •w
The o rig in a l policy employed in the d isposal of wee-
tarn land was that of se llin g I t in large tracts d ire c tly to
companies and association s formed fo r the purpose of resell-*
ing to individuals in sm aller allotm ents* But In a ll these
cases, the reserved lands fo r the promotion of education were
c arefu lly protoetad, a® is Indicated in the follow ing inden
tures*
Indenture between ttye Board of Tree so ry and the Agents
of the Ohio Company0 '
Q:?ew York, October 27, 1737J
This Indenture made the 27th day of Octr In the
year of our Lord 1707 Between Bmtl Osgood, W alter Liv
ingstone and Arthur Lee Bsqrs (the Board of Treasury
for the United S tates of America) acting by and under
the au th o rity of the Honfele the Congress of the said
S tates of the one p art and Fmnaesah C utler and Y.’inthrop
Sargent both o f the commonwealth of yassaehusett® as
agents fo r the d irec to rs of the Ohio Company of Asso
c iates bo c a lle d 'o f the other part*
* * * i t is 'hereby expressly stip u lated th at in
the said Grant so to be executed as aforesaid a proper
Clause or Clauses sh a ll or may be inserted fo r the pur
pose of reserving in each Township or fra c tio n a l part
of a Township which upon such surveys m h e re in after
**An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of
the United Ltates $orth-west of the tiiver Ohio,H The Laws of
Ind.!ana T erritory, I t09-1815. edited by L«B* ,F>.?bank" anfl KW*
Wlicir V’indtana \ilst'orleai bureau, Indianapolis, 1954, pp. 91-
97*
^ C arter, C«E», ©d*, The. Territo rial Bauers of the
' n..t e<3 LA itat.ee, 1 ».b» u’ overaw.n.......w..........r.......s.....t.....-.........’....r........l....n..........t.....l.....n..... ff■* —iinnOnNniii^rfni^f1*1i Mfcfluiwe* ~n, i m u m'i -arr—snh rlr m r t1—cm.
D.C., ISkW, vol. 2, PP. 30-64.
4
are mentioned aha11 b© found to f a ll w ithin the bounds
of the Triict so to be granted, aa aforesaid to t, number
16 fa r the aurposM mentioned in th© said Ordinance of
the 20th day of Mmy in the year of out Lord 17B5 hot
Ho 29 to be appropriated to the purposes of Religion
and hots Bo* 8* 11. & 26 fo r the use and subject to tb©
d isp o sitio n of the Congress of *he TT,8, and also re s e r
ving out of the said tra c t ©o to b© granted two com-
p leat Townships to be given perpetually for the pur
poses of m U niversity to foe laid o ff by the said p a rties
of the 2d p art th e ir Heirs and Assigns as near th© cen
tre as maj be so th at the same sh all be o f Good land to
be applied to the Intended object in such manner a® the
L egislature of the S tate wherein such Township© sh a ll
f a ll or may be situ ated sh all or may think proper or
direct#
Patent Issued to John ('laves
In the name of the United S tates of America*
To a ll to whom these presents sh a ll come*
low these Present® te s tify th at X the said
Oeorge Uni feed State® in
the nwm and by the au th o rity of the said 8* State©
* * • have granted and confirmed and by thee© pres
ents do grant & confirm unto the acid John Clove©
Symme® and M s associate© and to his & th e ir h e irs
and assign© s# a ll th a ttra c t of land* • * * so ss to
comprehend the quantity of three hundred & eleven thou
sand six hundred & eighty two acres of Land with the
appurtenances * • • reserving to the said united S tates
out of each Township, contained in the ©aid tra c t the
follow ing L o tts, to wit Lot Ho 16 fo r the- purpose©
mentioned & specified in the ordinance of the rnltod
S tates in Congress assem bled, passed on the 20th day
of May 1786 - Lot Mo 29 fo r the purposes of B ellaion,
and Lots Bo 11. Wo 8 & Mo 26 fo r such purposes as the
Congress of the V S tates sh all h e re afte r d irect* «
« *
D espite the precaution.® taken by the fed eral govern
ment to protect the In te re st of education In these reserved
4XbW ., vol. 2, pp. 496-498.
