1850–1900 ∼ The Beginning of Public Education
Massachusetts passes first compulsory education law (1852) / Office of Education created (1867) / Comstock Law prohibits possessing any book, pamphlet, paper, writing, advertisement, circular, print, picture or drawing of an immoral nature, including educational materials (1873) / Committee of Ten favors uniform, liberal curriculum (1892–93) / Plessy v Ferguson solidifies segregation in American schools by confirming a “separate but equal” policy in public schools (1896)
MILESTONES: Old Immigration from England, Ireland, Scandinavia, and Germany (1830–1870) • Darwin’s Origins of the Species theorizes that man is descended from apes (1859) • Fourteenth Amendment declares that all persons born or naturalized in America are citizens (1866) • Widespread use of child labor (1870) Massachusetts is the first state to collect unemployment statistics (1878) • Russell Conwell becomes famous for his sermons on the virtues of wealth, which he preaches 6,000 times (1880–1900)
1900–1929 ∼ Diversifying Educational Paths
College entrance examination board established (1900) / Women enrolled in college rises from 20 percent in 1870 to 40 percent in 1910 / Albert A. Michelson becomes the first American scientist to win a Nobel Prize for his invention of the interferometer to measure stellar spaces (1907) / Standardized tests developed to determine racial intelligence (1910s) / U.S.
