A Study On Horace Mann's Thought Of The Public Education

The American Independent War overthrew the governance of the British colonialist and developed a wide road for the development of the American capitalism. The Industrial Revolution, the west expansion, the tide of immigration as well as the social reform began to appear. All of this not only put forward an urgent request but also was the huge motive to the public education. In fact, as early as the beginning of the American independence, the public education thought was proposed and valued by some leaders such as the first President George Washington, the third President Thomas Jefferson. But till the early nineteenth century, the condition of the public education in the United States was still poor. So it was in great need of being improved. In the nineteenth century, the United States experienced a movement for universal education. Because the main purpose of this movement was to establish and improve the common free schools,this movement was also called the Common School Movement. The famous educator and statesman Horace Mann (1796-1859) was the most outstanding leader in this movement. The thesis is a complete introduction of Horace Mann's thought on the public education. The full text is divided into six parts.The first part: Introduction. This part mainly introduces the background and the significance of the selected topic, the domestic and American research summary situation and the research methods adopted.The second part (Chapter One): This section mainly introduces Horace Mann's life and his activities on education, including the social and historical background when and where he lived.The third part (Chapter Two): Horace Mann's pubic education thought. Horace Mann carried on an argument not only about the necessity of the public education, but also about its rationality. At last he definitely pointed out that only by establishing and improving the common schools could universal education be carried out.The fourth part (Chapter Three): Horace Mann's opinion about the common schools. The author gives a very detailed introduction. This chapter mainly deals with the character of the common schools and the improvement about the material and teaching conditions. The property of the common schools includes their purpose, management and financial support.The fifth part (Chapter Four): Horace Mann's opinion about teachers and teachers training. Mann insisted that any meaningful improvement of public education and any social progress should depend on excellent teachers and normal schools. Horace Mann finally opened the first pubic normal schools in 1839 in Massachusetts with the help of other social personages. Normal schools played an important part in the development of education in America.The sixth part (Chapter Five): The influence of Horace Mann. Horace Mann devoted all his life to the public education. During the twelve years the public started to show interest in the common schools. The material condition and teaching methods of the common schools had been improved. The teachers'salaries, working conditions had changed greatly. The contribution of Horace Mann in establishing the common schools was so fundamental that he is known as the Father of the Common Schools.