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Historys Past, Present, and Future

Abigail Czajkowski


Instructor Ackerman
History III Honors
November 26, 2013









I hereby attest that I have abided by the CCBC honor code.


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Historys Past, Present, and Future
What a person is remembered for says a lot about who they were. Throughout history,
many different kinds of people have become famous. Whether it be for good or bad, if they did
something in their lifetime to strongly influence or change the ways things were at a certain time,
they are most likely remembered by the following generations. We cannot forget the mistakes
that were made and we cannot overlook accomplishments and the rights that were fought for.
Knowing about these people and events plays a crucial role in understanding where society is
today, how it has come to be here, and what we should continue to do or change. Understanding
these things is where education comes into the picture. In order to be informed of history, some
type of education must take place, and whether it be in a school or at home, education is
important for the mind and character of a person throughout their life. A worthwhile education
can make all the difference for a persons passions, dreams and what they will accomplish.
What comes to your mind when the topic of education is brought up? When most people
think of education, they probably picture a classroom full of students and a teacher in the front,
but this isn't the only way for it to take place. In fact, until 1642, when public schools were
officially established here in the United States and a basic education was required
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, most children
were either taught in their homes or didn't receive any type of proper education at all
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. Some of
our greatest leaders of history were simply self taught, completely eliminating this vision of what
an education is. These days education usually varies from public school, private school and
homeschooling. A classical education, which has its own curriculum to develop a student
through a certain process involving reading, writing, logic, and much more, is mostly used in
private schools or at home and has been used for quite some time.
The classical education that was used long ago and continues to be used now consists of
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three parts, which together are called the Trivium
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. The first stage of the three is grammar. From
first through fifth grade, children are taught the building blocks for everything that is to come
later on. It is the foundation of knowledge they will need to know in order to continue on with
their education. They must memorize, but not yet analyze. They learn how to read and write and
even begin to learn the Latin language in some cases. In stage one, students are not yet expected
to give opinions, but more so focused on growing to understand how to learn. Once they know
how to properly absorb and understand information, the second stage, which is logic, can then
take place. Being taught from sixth to eighth grade in this phase, children are taught to think
critically and make connections. This is where they analyze and really start to grasp the concepts
they had been memorizing. Each stage is preparing them for the next one. The final and third
stage, which is taught from ninth through twelfth grade, is the rhetoric stage. In their last years of
grade school before becoming adults, students learn to express themselves. They form opinions
about the facts they learned and state them through speech and writing, which they were taught
in the first stage. The way in which the classical education is constructed aims to have everything
which is taught come together in the end to make a critical thinking mind and an exceptional
student. Susan Wise Bauer explains all of this in her book "The Well Educated Mind," in which
she says that a well trained mind is not just being an inborn genius, but the result of application;
training the mind to be well educated rather than being one of those few who naturally grasp and
understand concepts without a second thought
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. Through this she explains that anyone can have a
well trained mind with the proper tools and dedication. Its that simple. We may not all be an
Albert Einstein, but with hard work, we can strive to be knowledgeable, which is bound to lead
to success and wisdom.
This well thought out process, in which the mind is exercised to an extent that the
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average educational system does not naturally aim for, was somewhat used in the colonies, but
not as their primary source of learning when starting out. When people first arrived and settled
Jamestown, they were much more focused on survival rather than education
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. It wasnt until
1635 that some official schools started in the colonies. These first schools provided classical
education, one of which being the Latin School in Boston, but it was very simple and met in the
home of the headmaster
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. Harvard college was soon founded after that in 1636 by Puritans, being
the first college in America
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. Eventually, when going to school was required, the goal of the
educational system was to prepare students to be admitted into Harvard College. Around the
same time that the law began to require schools, Dame schools came into the picture. This
education was mainly for girls, giving them a well rounded education while showing that women
can be successful teachers
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. Although education was not the colonists primary concern when
they first arrived in America, it grew to be more and more important for them.
Classical education specifically was the Puritans primary way of teaching, which ended
up influencing the colonies in general to use it also. They thought classical education was
extremely important for a Christians life of learning
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. Knowledge in Latin, Greek and Hebrew
from this education assisted in the Puritans biblical interests, since some of these were the
original languages that the Bible was written in. The general purpose of the classical education
for the Puritans was to have a deeper meaning and understanding of learning, just as they did
with their purpose of life in general, striving to glorify God and obey His laws. They believed
that the Bible and classical education went hand in hand, especially in rhetoric. Classical authors
did not influence the Puritans because of an idea of authority, but rather because of their power
of reason, just as the Bible did for them. The Puritans longed to continuously progress in their
knowledge and study through classical education as they did in their Christian faith, creating a
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foundation of education in America that influenced many of our founding fathers.
All of the different types of schools and academics provided during the start of the
colonies is what established most of our school systems today. Publics schools have become the
primary source of education, many different types of private schools have evolved and continued
throughout the years (including classical teaching ones), and homeschooling, also sometimes
including classical education, is still used by some families to this day. How a person is educated
determines a lot about who they become and what they do in life. It is therefore something that
should not be ignored and must be given devoted attention, because how the people of our
generation are raised is what the future of our country relies on to prosper and do well.
There is something about education that strongly connects with the great men of the past.
Whether they had a classical education or not, it seems that most of our founding fathers were
devotedly educated in one way or another. This proves that not matter what kind of socio-
economic status they were born into, with hard work and diligence directed toward their
knowledge and education, they were able to make huge impacts on the people of America.
On January 17, 1706, in Puritan Boston, a man who would come to gain a great amount
of influence in American history was born. Known for his invention of bifocals and his
experiment with lightning, Benjamin Franklin started out as a simple printer. As the youngest of
ten sons in a family of seventeen children, with his father as a soap and candle maker, his humble
beginning created the foundation for the character he grew into.
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Although Franklin did not
receive much schooling as a young child, he loved to read and write, and continued to do so
when he became a printer. Starting as an apprentice for one of his brothers print shops, Franklin
unknowingly prepared himself for his future business which would be the start of making his
name huge in American history.
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After seven years of grueling work as an apprentice, Franklin ran away to Philadelphia at
age sixteen in response to his brothers poor treatment to him. He soon picked up printing again
through a local business man after being taken in to live by Deborah Read and her family.
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The
longer Franklin worked as a printer, the more frustrated he became with the deceitful man he
worked for, leading him to start his own print shop. Because of his hard diligent work and
professionalism, his business gained more popularity among the town compared to the man he
had been working for previously. The attitude he held earned him the respect and reputation to
become such a successful businessman.
After a trip to London and many years of print work, Benjamin Franklin married Deborah
Read. Along with his printing business, Franklin and his wife started their own little shop in
which she sold anything from soap to fabric and he sold books.
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He lived on to make many more
accomplishments, such as writing Poor Richards Almanack, starting the first public library,
verifying the nature of electricity, inventing numerous things, and helping to declare Americas
independence. Accomplishments such as these made groundbreaking differences in the world
around him that are remembered in America to this day.
In light of all his achievements, people may wonder how Benjamin Franklin came to be
such an intelligent man. His ability to create ideas, invent new things, solve problems, have a
vast knowledge of an abundance of topics, and simply write so well are attributes that are
normally taught to someone, but Franklin had his own way of doing things. With only two years
of attending a formal school, Franklin taught himself from there on out
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. He also learned through
his work as a printer, but it seemed as if becoming a genius for Franklin was a natural state of
living. He was constantly reading new things, writing new things, and experimenting. Private
school, public school, and even home school was completely different from how Franklin
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learned. This man taught himself. Of course experience always brings knowledge, and that is
how Franklin gained much of his intellect, but reading was the main contributor to Franklins
education.
Although Franklin did not follow any sort of structured or formal curriculum, in a sense
he followed the trivium of classical education. If you look at his life as a whole, he started out by
going to grammar school. This matches up to the first stage of classical education. After that, he
read continuously, creating for himself the logic stage, in which he constantly absorbed and
analyzed information. With his love to read, he carried that stage with him forever, while
continuing into the rhetoric stage. Much like the final stage of classical education, Franklin
expressed himself and formed opinions through writings and speeches until the day he died.
Many people today look at learning as a chore, but Franklin thrived off of it. He desired
to learn more, know more, and invent more. Franklin heartily believed in learning through
personal experience to be the best type of education
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. As much as a formal education is
encouraged these days and greatly benefits people, Benjamin Franklin proved that through hard
and diligent work, people can accomplish great things. Not everyone will have the gift of a
simply brilliant mind that works at an unsurpassed rate such as Franklins, but once again, a
person with self dedication and discipline can accomplish just as much as an inborn genius is
able to.
Its a curious thing, to think that one of the most brilliant men in history taught himself.
Being so self motivated automatically put Franklin in a position of respect, but how did he know
what to teach himself to become so well-rounded and informed? To start off, he read abundantly
and often. His most influential readings were those of the great men of the past
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. Studying and
understanding the lives of these men was Franklins guide to character forming and good
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conduct
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. As a young boy, out of the many books Franklin read, one of the most significant for
him was Plutarchs Lives, in which Plutarch states, It was for the sake of others that I first
undertook to write biographies, but I soon began to dwell upon and delight in them for myself,
endeavouring to the best of my ability to regulate my own life, and to make it like that of those
who were reflected in their history as it were in a mirror before me.
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Plutarch gives a similar
opinion to what Franklin held, which is that you can learn by researching and reading about men
before your time. In fact, this direct quote could have been where Franklin got the very idea.
From generation to generation, people learn from each other by looking at failures and successes
and trying to understand how to or how not to repeat the past. Throughout Plutarchs Lives, it
speaks of many characters, explaining their lives, accomplishments, virtues and or mistakes, and
compares them in some cases. Being watchful of what and what not to do through looking into
the lives of these men seemed to be Franklins intention of reading this book, which came into
play as Franklin helped to lead America in their fight for independence.
Along with longing to understand human character through his reading, and simply
enjoying any books he could get his hands on, Franklin knew he could be a better writer by
reading more, similarly to what is practiced in the classical education system. Through all his
reading, he gained an exceptional skill for writing and speaking along with knowledge pertaining
to inventions and experiments. The wisdom he gained from his numerous readings was
extremely beneficial to America, in areas anywhere from science, to invention, to politics.
What we are taught, what we experience, and what we observe has a great influence on
who were are. Benjamin Franklin started out as a printer and grew to be a businessman, inventor,
scientist, politician, traveler, writer, and a founding father. He demonstrated the capabilities of
man, no matter how ordinary of a beginning one may be given. Success is not about what you
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receive or what you can get, but what what you can make out of what you already have. Franklin
used his simple ability to read to excel in numerous areas of his life. His informal education
system of teaching himself proved to help him accomplish more than any ordinary school system
could have helped him to do. I believe Franklin was influenced by the men of the past that he
read about, but also his own capability to teach himself. Once he realized he could learn on his
own, I expect that he believed in himself to do more, invent more and learn more. Until his last
days, he humbly continued to refer to himself as a printer, almost as a reminder to America, that
we can change things, we can learn from the past, and we can create the beginning to a better
future.
The world we live in today has changed and developed in many different ways, being
influenced by a number of different men and events. Americas freedom couldnt have happened
with only one man, or one battle. It took every person that lived, every speech given, and every
battle fought to be where we are now. If anything had happened differently, the world today
would be different in at least some minor ways, even if only pertaining to an individual person.
Benjamin Franklin was one of the many men who contributed to todays society.
Because of Benjamin Franklin, we have bifocals, the Franklin stove, an understanding of
electricity and plenty of his writings to read and learn from. I believe that Franklins education,
which was teaching himself, influenced the development of the nation not only in inventions and
science, but in an academic way. Looking back at his education, people could be encouraged to
read, write and self teach. They could be encouraged to rise above whatever social status they
were in, and accomplish great things through perseverance and self discipline. It demonstrated to
the world that to accomplish great things and be remembered doesnt mean you have to be rich
or famous, but make a difference in a positive way, through first understanding and studying the
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way things work, then seeing what needs to be different. Franklin proved that studying the men
of the past was key to understanding the present. By this, we can take what the men of our past
did, study it, and understand how we came to where we are and how to take things a step further.
Even if people dont become famous the moment they do good or discover something
amazing, if they dont give up on their beliefs, they will most likely be remembered when they
pass from this life. In fact, many people who made groundbreaking discoveries werent
acknowledged for it until they died. It may not be ideal for them, but it at least contributes to the
future just as they intended. There are ways that Franklins education can influence the world we
live in today, and did influence the development of our nation, but I dont see a strong
connection with how things are now. We couldnt have gotten here without everything
happening the way it did, but I dont see people being influenced by the education of the men of
our past in a strong manner, or knowing a significant amount about them to better their
knowledge for helping themselves and our society. Unfortunately, I dont see public education
getting better and taking lessons from Franklin and other founding fathers methods. This is not
to say that people who do care about our education and do take lessons from these men dont
exist, because I have witnessed it numerous times, but overall, the majority of America doesnt
seem to be advancing the school systems in the correct direction. Franklin did a great deal of
work to develop our nation, through inventions, politics and helping to declare our independence,
and he could have a huge impact on our education if people would just take the time to study it,
understand it, and learn from it, just as he did from men of the past.
Why do we make monuments, statues, paintings and anything else in honor of certain
people of the past? Most likely because they did something to contribute to society in a
groundbreaking, wise or positive manner. For whatever reason we do this, we should take note of
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it. We should realize that if we make such a big deal about these people, then we should stop and
think about why we do. We should ask ourselves what they did to be honored and respected and
think about how to better educate ourselves on how we can do the same. People are constantly
trying to come up with new ideas and new systems, but we have to remember that there were
successful ones before us. None of them were perfect, and none of them ever will be, but
sometimes all it takes to solve a problem is to look at one similar to it from our past and
determine how it was fixed or not fixed. Sometimes it may just take the perfect balance of the
past mixed with our new discoveries to come up with the best resolution we can achieve.















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Bibliography
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