W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 1973 A history of the relationships between the state of Virginia and its public normal schools, 1869-1930 Bruce Emerson College of William & Mary - School of Education Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Emerson, Bruce, "A history of the relationships between the state of Virginia and its public normal schools, 1869-1930" (1973). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539618304. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.25774/w4-g7yc-zj12 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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Xerox University Microfilms 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 I I 74-83 EMERSON, Bruce, 1921- A HISTORY OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA AND ITS PUBLIC NORMAL SCHOOLS, 1869-1930. The College of William and Mary in Virginia, Ed.D., 1973 Education, higher University Microfilms, A XEROX Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan A HISTORY OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE STATE OF VIRGINIA AND ITS PUBLIC NORMAL SCHOOLS 1869-1930 A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the School of Education College of William and Mary in Virginia In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements fo r the Degree Doctor of Education by Bruce Emerson May, 1973 APPROVAL SHEET We the undersigned do certify that we have read this dissertation and that in our individual opinions it is acceptable in both scope and quality as a dissertation fo r the degree of Doctor of Education. Accepted May 1973 by Paul Unger Mark G. Gulesian Daniel R. Gerber, Chairman of Doctoral Committee TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ............................. Background and Purpose Justification Methodology and Procedure I I . HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES .... The Cultural Milieu Social Forces in V irg in ia P o litic a l Forces in V irginia Educational Policy in Virginia The Public Policy Process Educational Policy Making I I I . THE PUBLIC SCHOOL IN VIRGINIA (1869-1882) The Role of the State in Education Virginia After the Civil War Reconstruction in Virginia Education in Virginia A Public School System fo r V irg in ia Readjusterism Comes to Virginia IV. THE PUBLIC NORMAL SCHOOL IN VIRGINIA (1882-1901) The Normal School Idea in V irginia The Education of Negroes in V irginia The F irs t Public Normal School in V irginia The Female Normal School a t Farmville A Normal Department at William and Mary Forces fo r Reform V. CONSTITUTIONAL REVISION AND EDUCATIONAL REVIVAL ..................... 96 (1901-1910) A New Constitution An Educational Revival The Need for Additional Normals in Virginia A Normal for Harrisonburg and Fredericksburg A Normal fo r Radford VI. CENTRALIZATION AND THE NORMAL SCHOOL IN VIRGINIA ................. 131 (1910-1924) The Education Commission of V irginia Another Normal School Opens The Education Commission's Report S t ill Another Normal School Opens Emerging C entralization Economy and Efficiency V II. FROM NORMAL SCHOOL TO TEACHERS COLLEGE (1924-1930) .... 159 The Transformation S im plification and Economy Reorganization of Virginia's Government An Educational Survey Administrative Consolidation V I I I. CONCLUSIONS.................................................................................................... 178 BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY ........................................................................................... 187 VITA ................................................................................................................................. 200 ABSTRACT.........................................................................................................................201 4 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Background and Purpose The idea of a free public school system manned by teachers spe­ cially trained for their tasks is ingrained in the mind of the average Virginian today to the extent that it is hard for him to realize that there was ever a time when such a system was not a natural part of everyday life in Virginia. And yet, the concept of education based upon the dual premises of equal educational opportunity fo r a ll and State support and control of education is actually a post Civil War development. It is a matter of record that, during the ante-bellum period, a majority of Virginians believed that education was an indi­ vidual responsibility—a function of the home, and not of the State. It is also a matter of record that, during both the ante- and post- bellum period, most Virginians sincerely fe lt that no special training was necessary to qualify as a teacher. I t is not surprising, then, that the Commonwealth lagged behind many of the other states in the Union in establishing a free public school system and in providing specialized teacher-training in s titu ­ tions to prepare and supply competent teachers fo r the public school system. Although Butts and Cremin, in discussing the development of the American public school system, stated that "the years between 1779 6 and 1865 mark the era when the great school systems of contemporary America took form," such was not the case in V irginia.^ In fa c t, i t was not until the controversial Underwood Constitution was adopted in 1869 that an unequivocal mandate was issued by Virginians to their governing officials, not only for the establishment of "a uniform sys­ tem of public free schools," but also for the creation of normal schools "as soon as practicable" in order to train teachers for the public schools soestablished. ^ Although the General Assembly passed "An ACT to Establish and Maintain a Uniform System of Free Public Schools" ju s t slightly more than a year after the ratification of this Constitution, it took much longer for a system of public normal schools to materialize.^ Despite concerted efforts on the part of dedicated educators and sympathetic legislators, all previous laws enacted to establish a satis­ factory system of public schools in V irginia had fa ile d . Of p articu lar note in this respect are the laws of 1796, 1818, 1829, and 1846. Under the law enacted in 1796, each child in Virginia was assured of at least three years of primary schooling, with the opportunity for some to obtain higher schooling, a t State expense. In 1818 a law was passed that provided for the use of monies from the Literary Fund to educate poor children at the S tate's expense. Under this law the courts were required to appoint school commissioners who decided how many "poor" 1r . Freeman Butts and Lawrence A. Cremin, A History of Education in American Culture (New York: Henry Holt & Company, 1953), p. 241. ^Virginia, Acts of Assembly (1869-70), "Constitution of V irg in ia ," A rtic le V I I I , Sec. 3, and Sec. 5, p. 625. ^V irginia, Acts of Assembly (1869-70), pp. 402-17. 7 children were to be educated from a sum of $45,000 which was set aside from the L iterary Fund fo r that purpose. Secondary education, as before, was left entirely to the discretion and initiative of the local com­ munity. The District Free School Law of 1829 was an attempt to convert the primary schools of the State into a voluntary common school system, remove the compulsory feature, and a t the same time avoid the stigma of poverty. The law empowered school commissioners to establish d is tr ic t free schools, with the local community paying three-fifths of the expense of the school plant, at least one-half of the salary expenses, and the Literary Fund accountable for the balance. The law of 1846 was compatible with the national education movement and required county courts to establish free school systems in those counties where a m ajority of the citizens wanted them. The provision for poor children was retained with improved machinery fo r superintendence, but i f a county or corporation chose to, it could set up free schools and levy a tax for their support.