Horace Mann, dubbed the ‘Father of the Common School Movement,’ was an educator and politician in the United States. He was a pioneer of public education and argued that education should be universal, non-partisan, and dependable in a democratic society. He believed that universal public education was the best way to transform the country’s unruly children into disciplined, sensible, and republican citizens. He received widespread support for establishing public schools from modernizers, including members of his Whig Party. The majority of states adopted one of the systems he established in Massachusetts, most notably the ‘normal school’ program for teacher professional development. The majority of women were educated in regular schools, which prepared them for a new career in teaching. He advocated for well-equipped schools, a longer school year for students up to the age of 16, an elaborate curriculum, and adequate compensation for teachers. Since its inception, he has served as Secretary of the ‘Massachusetts State Board of Education.’ He was a devoted Whig party member who advocated for rapid modernization in the ‘Massachusetts State Legislature.’ He was also elected to the ‘House of Representatives of the United States of America’.
Childhood & Adolescence
Horace Mann was born in Franklin, Massachusetts on May 4, 1796, to Thomas Mann and Rebecca Stanley Mann. His father was a peasant farmer in New York.
Mann developed an early sense of independence and self-reliance as a result of his family’s hardships and poverty. Between the ages of 10 and 20, he was not permitted to attend school for more than six weeks in any given year. He did, however, conduct his own research by visiting the Franklin town library.
Samuel Barrett, who later became a well-known Unitarian minister, taught him Greek and Latin. He was admitted to ‘Brown University’ at the age of twenty.
He graduated as valedictorian in 1819. His valedictory address, ‘The Progressive Character of the Human Race,’ demonstrated how a combination of education, humanity, and republicanism can alleviate an individual’s wants and deficiencies. He briefly studied law in Wrentham, Massachusetts.
Between 1820 and 1822, he worked as a Greek and Latin teacher. Between 1821 and 1823, he served as librarian at ‘Brown University.’ He attended the ‘Litchfield Law School’ between 1821 and 1823. He was admitted to the bar of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in 1823.
Career of Hoarce
He began his career as a lawyer and was elected to the ‘Massachusetts House of Representatives’ from Dedham, Massachusetts, in 1827, where he served until 1833.
He was an advocate for public charities, education, and legislation prohibiting intemperance and lottery culture. In 1833, he made a personal effort to establish a lunatic asylum in Worcester and served as chairman of the board of trustees.
He was a member of the committee charged with revising the state statutes and served as its chairman for a time. Numerous his suggestions were adopted. In 1833, he relocated to Boston.
From 1835 to 1837, he served as a majority leader in the ‘Massachusetts State Senate’ and as its president in 1836 after being elected from Boston. He took on a variety of projects aimed at improving infrastructure, including the construction of canals and railroads.
The ‘Massachusetts State Board of Education,’ the nation’s first board of education, was established in 1837 as a result of a vigorous reform movement aimed at improving educational quality.
He was appointed as the organization’s first secretary. He withdrew from politics and other professional engagements after assuming responsibility as secretary.
He established himself as an outspoken advocate and spokesperson for education, hosting teacher conventions, delivering lectures, and introducing several reforms.
He paid a visit to every school in the state. He established the ‘normal school’ system in Massachusetts in Barre, Lexington, and Bridgewater.
He was opposed to corporal punishment in schools, which was a point of contention for some Boston teachers. His views, however, were later adopted.
In 1838, he founded and edited ‘The Common School Journal,’ a biweekly journal devoted to public schools and their issues. His six central principles for addressing public education and its problems are as follows: (1) the public should not remain ignorant for an extended period of time; (2) the public should take an interest in paying for, controlling, and maintaining education; (3) the best education can be provided in schools that welcome children from diverse socioeconomic, religious, and ethnic backgrounds; (4) this education should be free of sectarian influence; (5) the tenets of a free society should predominate when dividing education; and (6) As was the case with many other American educators, he traveled to Germany in 1843 to observe the educational system in action. He lobbied vehemently for the adoption of the ‘Prussian model’ upon his return to the United States.
In 1848, he resigned as secretary of the ‘Massachusetts State Board of Education’ in order to fill John Quincy Adams’ seat in the ‘United States Congress’.
In his first speech, he advocated for the abolition of slavery. He volunteered to represent Drayton and Sayres, who faced charges of stealing 76 slaves from the District of Columbia.
In 1850, he clashed with Daniel Webster over fugitive slave laws and slavery extension. Though he was defeated by Webster’s supporters by one vote at the ensuing nominating convention, his appeal to the people as an anti-slavery independent candidate re-elected him, and he served until March 1853.
He received support from modernists, including members of his Whig Party, for establishing public schools. He convinced them to pass legislation in their states establishing tax-supported elementary public education.
In 1852, he backed the decision to adopt the Prussian education system in Massachusetts, and following its adoption, the New York Governor trialed the system in twelve of the state’s public schools.
In September 1852, he was nominated for Governor of Massachusetts by the ‘Free Soil Party.’ He was also appointed president of Antioch College, a newly established institution in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
Though he was unsuccessful in his bid for governor, he agreed to become president of the college and served in that capacity until his death.
At the college level, he taught philosophy, theology, and economics. His lectures advocating for public education drew lay audiences from across the Midwest.
He appointed his niece, Rebecca Pennell, as the university’s first female faculty member who was compensated equally with her male colleagues.
Among Horace Mann’s published works are ‘Lectures on Education’ (1845), ‘A Few Thoughts for a Young Man’ (1850), and ‘Slavery: Letters and Speeches’ (1850). (1851).
The majority of northern states adopted one of Horace Mann’s education systems in Massachusetts, particularly the ‘normal school’ program for professional teacher training.
Personal History and Legacies
In 1830, he married Charlotte Messer, the daughter of Asa Messer, president of Brown University. On August 1, 1832, his wife died.
In 1843, Horace Mann married Mary Tyler Peabody. Horace Mann Jr., George Combe Mann, and Benjamin Pickman Mann were the couple’s three sons.
He died on August 2, 1859, in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States, at the age of 63. He was buried alongside his first wife Charlotte Messer Mann in Providence, Rhode Island, United States.
Estimated Net Worth
Horace is one of the wealthiest politicians and is ranked among the most popular. Horace Mann’s net worth is estimated to be around $1-5 million, based on our analysis of Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.
Trivia
His statue is located directly across from the ‘Massachusetts State House.’ At Antioch College, a monument bears his quote, “Be Not Afraid to Die Until You Have Won Some Victory for Humanity.”
Horace Mann Elementary School in Dayton, Ohio, Horace Mann Middle School in Franklin, Massachusetts, and Horace Mann School in Salem, Massachusetts are just a few of the schools named after him.