THE COLONIAL PERIOD 1. The Founding of Grammar Schools.— The influences which most vitally affected the early development of secondary education in America were the example of the °grammar schools' of England and the rising spirit of democracy, which was largely Calvinistic in its modes of thought and kept in touch with Cal vinistic portions of Europe.
Early in the history of the colony of Vir ginia, funds were raised and lands set apart for the endowment of a Latin grammar school. But these promising beginnings were swept away by the Indian massacre of 1622 and the school seems never to have been opened. The town of Boston set up a Latin school in 1635, which has had a continuous existence down to the present time. This school was established by vote of the citizens in a town meeting; it was supported by private donations and by the rent of certain islands in the harbor, desig nated by the town for that purpose; and a town rate seems to have been levied when nec essary to make up a salary of $244.50 a year for the master. Other Massachusetts towns followed the example of Boston. School fees were commonly collected. A town rate, which was depended upon at first only to supplement other sources of revenue, gradually came to be the main reliance; and by the middle of the 18th century most of the grammar schools of Massachusetts charged no fee for tuition. Latin schools were early established in Con necticut; one at New Haven in 1641 and one at Hartford not later than 1642. A notable be quest of Edward Hopkins, sometime governor of Connecticut colony, available soon after the middle of the 17th century, was devoted to the maintenance of Latin grammar schools in Hart ford and New Haven, and also in the towns of Hadley and Cambridge in Massachusetts. The Dutch at New Amsterdam opened a Latin school in 1659, continued for some years after the colony passed under English rule. Secon dary schools were established in Pennsylvania in the latter part of the 17th century. One of these, the William Penn Charter School at Philadelphia, has continued down to the pres ent day. King William's school at Annapolis was erected by the legislature of Maryland in 1696, and similar schools were established in dif ferent sections of the same colony. The 18th century saw schools of like character opened, partly by legislative enactment, partly by pri vate initiative, in these and in the remaining colonies. Some of the number, like the Uni
versity Grammar School in Rhode Island and the Free School at New York, were the fore runners or the accompaniments of colonial colleges.
2. Character of the Grammar Schools.— The chief emphasis in these colonial schools was laid on preparation for the college en trance examination and the requirements for admission to college determined the course of study. The colonial grammar schools accord ingly taught Latin, a little Greek, religion and little else. Both grammar schools and colleges were intended especially for the directive and professional classes and had little connection with such elementary schools as there were. In Massachusetts, towns which maintained grammar schools were not required to main tain reading schools. Sometimes pupils were taught to read in grammar schools, but the grammar school teachers objected to this bur den; and, too, the mixing of the two grades of instruction in one school was recognized as an evil. The grammar schools exercised a kind of selective function, discovering latent ca pacity for the higher studies and starting tal ented youth on the way to college. Those who showed capacity of a lower grade or of a dif ferent sort received little attention or encour agement.
3. The Organization of Colonial Systems.— In the organization of colonial systems of sec ondary education important beginnings were made. In 1647 the colonial legislature of 'Mas sachusetts decreed that an elementary school should be maintained in every town of 50 fain dies; and that in 'every town 'of 400 families there should be a grammar school, in which students might be fitted for the university. This provision was copied by the colonies of Connecticut and New Hampshire, and in Con necticut the provision was afterward changed to require a grammar school in each county town. These New England colonies maintained and enforced such provisions down to and after the Revolution. Maryland also established by law a system of county grammar schools. When the colonies were transferred into States, after the Declaration of Independence, the sys tems of schools in the four colonies mentioned were continued with little change, but no other of the 13 States had anything that could be called a system of public instruction.