Live to the Truth: The Life and Times of Cyrus Peirce: Crusader for American Public Education Founder of the First Public Teacher-Training School in the Nation

This is a biography of Cyrus Peirce who was the founder of the first public teacher training school in the United States. With Horace Mann, Peirce was an important crusader for public education. Peirce was chosen by Mann in 1839 to direct the Lexington Normal School in Lexington, Massachusetts. The women who attended the school were the first specifically trained teachers in the country funded by public money. The curriculum that Peirce created became the basis for normal schools around the country, most of which evolved into our state university systems. Peirce deserves credit for insisting on student teaching, now taken for granted as an important part of teacher education. Ultra-conservative forces set out to destroy Peirce and the normal school. They believed that his "soft" approach to children, which rejected corporal punishment and rote memorization, was dangerous and un-American. An evening of dramatic tableaux at the school in 1846 was fodder for sensational headlines in Boston for over two years as Peirce was accused of allowing and condoning indecent and inappropriate behavior. The story of how Peirce and Mann defended themselves and the school makes for a gripping tale. The story of Cyrus Peirce, who lived between the American Revolution and the Civil War, is a case study of the tensions in American society at the time. While his primary contribution was in the field of education, Peirce was also involved in other reform movements. He was an ardent abolitionist who helped lead the fight to desegregate Nantucket's public schools which led to the passage of the earliest civil rights law to guarantee equal access to public education. He defied the "gag" rule of the House of Representatives when he tried to present a petition with John Quincy Adams to amend the Constitution and eliminate the counting of slaves as three-fifths of a person for distributing seats in the House. He was also an early leader in the woman's suffrage movement and advocated for equal pay and equal education for women during his entire life. He believed in non-violent resistance and attended the Paris Peace Congress of 1849. Peirce's legacy lives on in the countless number of teachers who have benefitted from enhanced teacher training, as well as the students who benefitted from better teaching. While Horace Mann has been fully recognized for his place in the history of American public education, the role of Peirce has been overlooked. This book resurrects the vital role that Peirce played, a role that was well-recognized by his contemporaries, but has slipped from modern histories.
ASIN: 0990587401
VSKU: BVV.0990587401.A
Condition: Acceptable
Author/Artist:White, Barbara Ann
Binding: Paperback
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: The item is very worn but is perfectly usable. Signs of wear can include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents, worn and creased covers, folded page corners and minor liquid stains. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include moderate to heavy amount of notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. Page edges may have foxing age related spots and browning . May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.