Horace Mann's Education

The public education in American still resembles that described by Horace Mann in the late 1830s. Horace Mann wished to establish a state board of education and adequate tax support for public schools. He discouraged corporal punishment, believed education was a means of creating law-abiding citizens, and believed it would open doors for lower class children to be more successful than their parents were.

Horace Mann was a lawyer and member of the state legislature. He proposed a state board of education and adequate tax support for public schools. In 1837, his proposal was enacted and he became the first secretary of the state board of education. He believed teachers could "mold children to a state of perfection".

Mann discouraged corporal punishment. He believed that nurturing parents and teachers would have more influence on the behavior of children than physical punishment. In the modern educational system, corporal punishment is outlawed.

Mann believed that a stable education would help children develop into law-abiding citizens. In countries where there is no public education, children may not receive a skill or education that will help them to acquire a position that will pay for their basic needs. If persons are not able to get adequate jobs, they may resort to stealing or breaking the law in order to fulfill their needs. Mann also believed that effective public education could encourage social mobility by opening doors for lower class children who wished to be more successful than their parents. This is still true today as many children have gone on to lead successful lives because of the opportunities their parents did not have.

Horace Mann was obviously ahead of his time. His strategies for public education are still in effect today and are still working. He believed everyone had a right to a free education, and education was a necessity.