As kids return to school, we wanted to take a trip to the past—back to the 1800s. The nineteenth century was a period of immense change in U.S. history. You can bet the classroom looked a lot different 200 years ago. Some of these differences might even surprise you.
Let’s take attendance
Today, school attendance is about 90 percent. But, in the nineteenth century, many kids did not attend school every day. In fact, attendance was only about 59 percent in 1869. In the 1800s, kids were more likely to get sick because medicine was less advanced. In rural areas, children were also kept at home to help with farm work.
Here’s a recreation of what a schoolroom looked like in the 1860s. Image credit: US National Park Service / Kelsey Graczyk
Who’s teaching the class?
Two centuries ago, women were involved in teaching inside the home, but most schoolroom teachers were men. These men often used the position as a stepping stone to other careers in law or the clergy. Women finally entered the scene around the 1840s. As the U.S. population grew, there was a need for more teachers, and women responded to the call. By the early 1900s, most teachers in the United States were women.
Don’t forget to bring a log!
Buildings didn't have electricity 200 years ago, so students kept the school warm during the winter with a fire. In the 1800s, most schoolhouses had fireplaces or wood stoves. Kids would take logs to class and take turns lighting the fire.
The Country School by Winslow Homer (1871). Image credit: Wikimedia.
Everyone all together
In rural areas, families lived far apart from each other. The children in these areas were typically taught in a one-room schoolhouse. That meant teachers taught first grade through eighth grade in the same room! In many classrooms, teaching was a group effort. The older students often helped instruct the younger children.
Far from equal
In the 1800s, schooling differed depending on the color of one’s skin and gender. Before the Civil War, southern states did not allow African Americans to attend school. In the North, it was still difficult for Black children to receive an education. After the Civil War, the government opened more schools for Black students. Yet, U.S. schools remained segregated by race for decades. During the nineteenth century, Indigenous Americans and Chinese Americans also faced discrimination in schools and fought for equal treatment.
A school for African American children in Charleston, South Carolina, 1866. Image credit: New York Public Library.
Two centuries ago, girls and boys received a different education. Many children learned reading and writing. However, girls often focused on penmanship and sewing, while boys were taught arithmetic. In the early 1800s, girls were usually educated at home. This began to change as public schools became more common. By the 1850s, girls were allowed to go to town schools, but they often attended at different times of the day than boys.
Uh oh! You’re in trouble now…
Just like today, kids often got into trouble at school in the 1800s. What were their punishments 200 years ago? Sometimes, teachers told students to stretch out their arms and hold a heavy book for an hour. Other times, a teacher would draw a circle on the chalkboard, and the troublemaker was told to place their nose inside the circle for 30 minutes. And if you littered or spat on the ground, you would have to clean the whole floor.
School supplies
You might be surprised to learn there were no backpacks 200 years ago. In fact, the backpack wasn’t invented until about the 1930s. You also wouldn’t find many notebooks in classrooms during the 1800s. Paper and ink were expensive, so most kids wrote on slates. These slates were miniature chalkboards that kids took home to practice their lessons. As you can imagine, back-to-school shopping was much different centuries ago.
An example of a slate that children wrote on and took to school. Image credit: US National Park Service.
Looking for more back to school activities? You can find all kinds of crafts on our blog and inside our kids magazine. Students can make a mini journal to record their first few days of school or explore our educational magazines. Each issue features fun activities that will spark curiosity and creativity.