Early Education in Illinois

Land Grant Act = every township was given a square mile for a school Personal Experience versus Book Learning - Illinois went the way with the South = No free public school education –Subscription Schools Parents pay the teachers, kids find their own resources Strong discipline = hickory Stick One room with benches and all ages were grouped together

Early Education in Illinois Public schools –Teachers are paid by the state –1st = West Jacksonville Teacher Requirements –1845 = all teachers must read, write, math, geography, grammar, and history –Pay = Men $45 and women $25-30

Early Education in Illinois Early Colleges –Mostly started by Religious groups –1st colleges = Illinois College, McKendree, Blackburn Tax Supported Colleges –1857 = Illinois State –1869 = SIUC

Jonathan Baldwin Turner Teacher for Illinois college that wanted a college for agriculture, mechanics, and science) Land Grant Act = States would receive 30,000 acres of government land for each legislator –Sell the land and invest the money at 5% interest –Use the money to build state colleges –Illinois received 480,000 acres

Jonathan Baldwin Turner University of Illinois –Champaign picked and offered 1,000 acres for the farm program –Feb = U of I was created –Mar = Class started with 50 students and 3 teachers –1885 = Name changed to U of I