Horace Mann s The Father Of Common School - 946 Words

Horace Mann was a social reformer who had many contributes to the education system. In 1837, the first ever Massachusetts state board of education was formed and Mann was chosen secretary. This was the beginning of a progressive movement in public education, this movement was often referred to as the Common School Movement. It began in the 1830’s and social reformers pushed for a more developed, tax-funded, secular public school system. Though Horace Mann was known as â€Å"The Father of Common School,† he faced many challenges in society during the 19h century. Mann’s ideals of a common educational experience also incorporated a model of values in education. This ideology was based on the Protestant values that have been been filtered†¦show more content†¦In addition to the difficulties that Mann’s faced with religion, he also faced many other problems with property and taxation. One of Mann’s most important arguments was included in his à ¢â‚¬Å"Tenth Annual Report,† he states that those who owned large property should pay there largest amount of their property tax to fund the common schools. He was not trying to convince the wealthy that this was good for business, but rather to express his anger about this situation. This situation has continued to bother public school people to the present day. The unwillingness of the wealthy to pay property and other taxes to fund public schools angered many. Some citizens who owned large properties disagreed with this taxation. They mentioned if they did not have children they should not be forced to pay an institution they would not use. Other oppositions came from those who have raised children and refused to pay for the education of other children. Also, those who sent their children to private schools refused to pay for an institution they did not support. Mann’s answer the all these objections was the same. He was not asking for those to support this instituti on but that this institution was not for the benefit of the individual, but for the benefit of them all. Man argued that if the state based laws on against infanticide, they should also enforce laws to support common schooling. â€Å"The principal that a