Kelly Ann Kolodny, “The Complexities Found, as Well as Insights gained, From the Identification of a Birthplace of Free Public Education: The Case of Rehoboth, Massachusetts” Historical Journal of Massachusetts Volume 35, No. 2 (Summer 2007). Published by: Institute for Massachusetts Studies and Westfield State University You may use content in this archive for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the Historical Journal of Massachusetts regarding any further use of this work:
[email protected] Funding for digitization of issues was provided through a generous grant from MassHumanities. Some digitized versions of the articles have been reformatted from their original, published appearance. When citing, please give the original print source (volume/ number/ date) but add "retrieved from HJM's online archive at http://www.westfield.ma.edu/mhj. The Complexities Found, as Well as Insights Gained, From the Identification of a Birthplace of Free Public Education: The Case of Rehoboth, Massachusetts By Kelly Ann Kolodny The debate over when and where free public education began in the United States continues to demand attention. Understandably, this is a complicated debate that entails reflection on what free public education means, consideration of how one could identify the birth of this activity, and difference of opinions regarding who should be credited for this large, powerful and conflicted undertaking. In the midst of this deliberation, rest communities which claim to hold the credit to be the birthplace of free public education, one of which is the small agricultural town of Rehoboth, Massachusetts. Though such community claims often are dismissed as celebratory in nature, there are important reasons to warrant their consideration.