Common School Journal by Horace Mann
Horace Mann wrote a biweekly journal for the reform called the Common School Journal in 1833. He also prepared a series of Annual Reports, which had spread far beyond where he had sold it because of its popularity. Today it is still considered as "among the best journal work, if indeed, they are not the very best ones, of the practical benefits of a common school education both to the individual and to the state". The practical result of his work led to the advancement of the common school system of Massachusetts, and indirectly to the common school systems of other states.
In carrying out his work he met with people who were advising strongly against his ideas. Some particular schoolmasters of Boston strongly disagreed with the pedagogical theories and innovations of Mann. Various religious instructors protected themselves from the exclusion of all sectarian instruction from the schools. He answered these disagreements in kind, and at sometimes with unnecessary vehemence and rancor, but he never lost focus and perseverance with his work. An optimist by nature, a disciple of his friend George Combe, and a believer in the indefinite improvability of mankind, he was sustained throughout by his conviction that nothing could benefit the race, morally, intellectually and materially, as much as education could.
In carrying out his work he met with people who were advising strongly against his ideas. Some particular schoolmasters of Boston strongly disagreed with the pedagogical theories and innovations of Mann. Various religious instructors protected themselves from the exclusion of all sectarian instruction from the schools. He answered these disagreements in kind, and at sometimes with unnecessary vehemence and rancor, but he never lost focus and perseverance with his work. An optimist by nature, a disciple of his friend George Combe, and a believer in the indefinite improvability of mankind, he was sustained throughout by his conviction that nothing could benefit the race, morally, intellectually and materially, as much as education could.
Merriam Webster Dictionary
Noah Webster, another member of the Education Reform Movement, published A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language, the first truly American dictionary in 1806. Immediately thereafter he went to work on his magnum opus, An American Dictionary of the English Language, for which he learned 26 languages, including Anglo-Saxon and Sanskrit. This book, published in 1828, embodied a new standard of lexicography; it was a dictionary with 70,000 entries that was felt by many to have surpassed Samuel Johnson's 1755 British masterpiece not only in scope but in authority as well.
While Webster was promoting his dictionary, George and Charles Merriam opened a printing and bookselling operation in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1831. G. & C. Merriam Co, which was renamed Merriam Webster in 1982. This company inherited the Webster legacy when the Merriam brothers bought the unsold copies of the 1841 edition of An American Dictionary of the English Language, Corrected and Enlarged from Webster's heirs after Noah Webster’s death in 1843. At the same time they secured the rights to create revised editions of that work. It was the beginning of a publishing tradition that has continued uninterrupted to this day at Merriam-Webster. This dictionary became widespread and the most popular dictionary and this has continued to this day.
While Webster was promoting his dictionary, George and Charles Merriam opened a printing and bookselling operation in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1831. G. & C. Merriam Co, which was renamed Merriam Webster in 1982. This company inherited the Webster legacy when the Merriam brothers bought the unsold copies of the 1841 edition of An American Dictionary of the English Language, Corrected and Enlarged from Webster's heirs after Noah Webster’s death in 1843. At the same time they secured the rights to create revised editions of that work. It was the beginning of a publishing tradition that has continued uninterrupted to this day at Merriam-Webster. This dictionary became widespread and the most popular dictionary and this has continued to this day.
Catharine Beecher Treatise
In 1841 Catharine Beecher published, “A Treatise on Domestic Economy for the Use of Young Ladies at Home and at School”, a book that talks
about how women are underestimated in society and that they can do more that what others think. The book was edited and released again the following year. In 1831, Catharine Beecher suggested teachers read aloud to students the passages from writers with elegant styles to show the students how they read and how words should be pronounced. She went on to have the students read aloud the pieces using words, style, and
turns of expression in order to develop good pronunciation and practice. She supported the fact that young ladies find work related to gods as Christian teachers. The Board of National Popular Education, which was her idea, trained teachers in four-week sessions in Connecticut and then sent them out West. She believed that women had a higher calling to shape children and society. The effects of this Treatise are still seen today, with the large percentage of teachers who are women
about how women are underestimated in society and that they can do more that what others think. The book was edited and released again the following year. In 1831, Catharine Beecher suggested teachers read aloud to students the passages from writers with elegant styles to show the students how they read and how words should be pronounced. She went on to have the students read aloud the pieces using words, style, and
turns of expression in order to develop good pronunciation and practice. She supported the fact that young ladies find work related to gods as Christian teachers. The Board of National Popular Education, which was her idea, trained teachers in four-week sessions in Connecticut and then sent them out West. She believed that women had a higher calling to shape children and society. The effects of this Treatise are still seen today, with the large percentage of teachers who are women