Schools by the Sea

History

The history of education in Rhode Island did not start in 1790, nor did it end in 1830. This snapshot in time, however, illustrates some of the state's most influential educational developments, especially in the city of Newport.

Why does this resource begin in 1790 and end in 1830?

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The ratification of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787 and the inauguration of George Washington on April 20, 1789 meant that America as a whole was undergoing extreme political, economic, and social changes. Having successfully rebelled against the British Empire and established a country of their own, the American people were in the process of understanding how their government and society should function without falling into disrepair. Newport itself had suffered at the hands of the British during the Revolutionary War, so the city was working hard to 'bounce back.' While schools certainly existed in Newport prior to 1790 and well after 1830, this period of forty years illustrates the social changes that the entire nation was processing. Newspapers such as the Newport Mercury began publishing more advertisements in support of schools during the 1790's, and the public education bill that was passed in 1800, repealed in 1803, and finally accepted again in 1828 showcased the dramatic shifts in Newport's schooling history. After 1830, the education system in Newport, especially in the public sector, began to soar; this resource explores that transitional period.

When the colony of Rhode Island was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, it served as a safe haven for those seeking religious freedom. While the people residing in the Massachusetts Bay Colony were renowned for their spiritual rigidity and Puritan beliefs, Rhode Island understood the benefits of separating church and state. In 1639, the town of Newport was established and it quickly grew to be one of the most prominent ports in colonial America. As the town expanded, the question of how to proceed with an educational system began to arise. Would the town have public institutions that would provide to every student? Or would private schools be the only way forward? Despite some setbacks in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, by 1830, Newport's public school system had been successfully established.

Etching of Trinity Church, a congregation of the Church of England, c. 1939. While established in 1698, almost sixty years after his stay in Newport, Rev. Lenthal would have practiced and taught the same beliefs shared by this church. 2020.019.001, Newport Historical Society Collections.

The Royal Charter of Rhode Island, 1663. Courtesy of the Rhode Island Department of State.

On August 20th, 1640, just one year after Newport was founded, Rhode Island's first educational doctrine was crafted, stating:

"One hundred acres should be laid forth and appropriated for a school, for encouragement of the poorer sort, to train up their youth in learning." (1)

This statement was issued in Newport and put Rev. Robert Lenthal in the position to lead the colony's first public school. Lenthal held an active leadership position within the Church of England, meaning that his schooling techniques most likely mirrored that of Anglican spiritual teachings. Unfortunately, Lenthal only served as a schoolmaster for two years before returning to England in 1642. Historians believe that this doctrine is one of the earliest, if not the earliest example of public education in the United States (2). Although no documentation survives that illustrates what Lenthal taught, who he taught, and how he taught, the direct connection between the Church and school helps us to better understand what might have occurred in Newport's first public school.

Rhode Island as a whole did not adopt a widespread public schooling system until the early nineteenth century, even though individual schools had begun popping up across the state over the course of a century and a half. Historians equate this delay in education to two main reasons: the separation of church and state, and boundary disputes between Rhode Island and the neighboring colonies (3). Why was this? How did a secular government cause issues for public education? Those residing in Rhode Island had become used to the idea of total separation between their personal lives and the interests of the state due to the fact that there was already a division between spirituality and government in place. Because of this, having the government establish an educational system was frowned upon. Colonists thought that if the government should not control their religion, why should they be able to control their education? This led to a statewide standstill on the idea of schooling.

In regards to the boundary disputes, the Pequot War (1636-1638) caused tension between Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut in terms of land perimeters. Both Connecticut and Massachusetts attempted to envelop Rhode Island into their own colonial territories, meaning Rhode Island was struggling to maintain its boundaries. With so many other colonial issues at hand, the idea of a statewide education system simply fell through the cracks (4).

Map of New England and New York, c. 1676. 2009.6, Newport Historical Society Collections.

Oil painting of Washington Square and the Brick Market Place, Newport, c. 1818. Unidentified Hessian painter. 94.4.1, Newport Historical Society Collections.

While Rhode Island as a whole did not establish a widespread system of public education right away, Newport's attention to the matter was impressive. With the first public school opening in 1640, education at this level continued, to some extent, until 1774. It is important to note, however, that there are limited records pertaining to seventeenth and eighteenth century schooling in Newport that survive; those that do remain fail to offer a complete chronological timeline. According to Charles Carroll's Public Education in Rhode Island:

"Only when a town set aside land for school purposes, or built or repaired a schoolhouse, or leased a town schoolhouse, or engaged a teacher, or lent the town schoolhouse to a teacher, or supplemented the teacher's earnings by a salary Grant, was the matter recorded."

Instead, bits and pieces of Newport's history shine through (5).

The year 1774 is significant in this fragmented history because it is the year the only standing public school in Newport was allegedly destroyed by a fire (6). The historical record does not make it clear whether or not this was the same school building that Rev. Lenthal supposedly taught in, nor is it clear if the building was actively being used between 1640 and 1774. Records claim that a public school was in operation in 1685, but no longer utilized in 1700. There is no evidence alluding to how the school fell into disrepair in such a short amount of time. In 1706, a schoolhouse fell into the hands of the town council, but it is unclear if this is the same school (7). What is clear, however, was that the supposed burning of the town school right before the official start of the American Revolution was the final blow for Newport's public school system for the next half century.

Note on the 1774 Schoolhouse Fire

The date of the 1774 fire has only been found in secondary sources; the Newport Mercury and the personal diary of Ezra Stiles have both yielded no information on this alleged event. The 1777 Blaskowitz map (the frontispiece for the 'homepage' of this resource) claims the town schoolhouse still stood three years after the supposed fire. This instance proves the importance of accurate primary source research before blindly accepting secondary facts.

John Howland, painted by James Sullivan Lincoln, c. 1848. 1848.1.1, Rhode Island Historical Society Collections.

Although Newport's public school allegedly burned down, private schools throughout the city continued to flourish. Individuals including Mary Brett, Newport Gardner, Mrs. Sayre, John Frazer, William Bridges, and James Wallace, to name just a few, either owned or operated schoolhouses in Newport following the American Revolution (8). Some of these teachers, like Mary Brett and Newport Gardner, also educated people of color.

Following the burning of Newport's public school, free education did not receive legal attention until 1800. The turn of the century brought with it a heightened interest in public education, which was brought before the Rhode Island government. John Howland proposed a bill in which free schools would become necessary by law; each town or city in Rhode Island was required to have at least one public school that operated on town funds. This law, however, only extended to white students between the ages of six and twenty. Black students were only permitted to receive an education through private institutions (9).

This law was short-lived, however, as the government voted to repeal the act in February 1803. Providence, Rhode Island was the only location where this law continued; the rest of the state, including Newport, fell back into a public schooling lull due to the lack of state funding (10).

It is important to note, however, that the failure to sustain a state-wide bill funding public education did not mean that public schools did not exist. In 1826, land was allotted on Mill Street in Newport for the construction of a free school (for white students), and that school opened its doors in 1827 (11). The following year brought vast legal change; a bill was passed in 1828 that provided state financial support for free schools. The state of Rhode Island was divided into 323 school districts with each district allotted roughly $31 from the government. This total accounts for informal districts that counted attendance rather than geographical boundaries. Now, cities and towns were not solely responsible for the upkeep of their public schools, but rather, Rhode Island itself distributed necessary funds (12).

With the legal requirement of state-funded public schools, education in Newport and the entire state took off. Private institutions were still operating just as they always had been, but families of lesser means could now send their children to school for a fraction of the price. Thus, public education in Newport officially began.

Citations

(1) William Howe Tolman, History of Higher Education in Rhode Island (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1894), 25.

(2) Edward Field, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations at the End of the Century (1902), 219.

(3) Tolman, History of Higher Education in Rhode Island, 24.

(4) Field, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations at the End of the Century, 218.

(5) Charles Carroll, Public Education in Rhode Island (Providence: E. L. Freeman Company Printers, 1918), 16.

(6) Thomas B Stockwell, A History of Public Education in Rhode Island: From 1636 to 1876: Embracing an Account of the Rise and Progress of the Present School System of the State; the Various City and Town Systems; Together with Sketches of Brown University and Many of the Academies, Libraries and Literary Associations of Rhode Island (1876), 7.

(7) Carroll, Public Education in Rhode Island, 25.

(8) Field, State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations at the End of the Century, 223.

(9) Stockwell, A History of Public Education in Rhode Island: From 1636 to 1876, 19.

(10) Tolman, History of Higher Education in Rhode Island, 29.

(11) "Town-Meeting." Newport Mercury (Newport, Rhode Island) LXV, no. 3341, April 22, 1826: [2]. Readex: America's Historical Newspapers. Link.

(12) Carroll, Public Education in Rhode Island, 94.

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