Boston Latin School: The first school in America

1. School History: The Boston Latin School

1.1. The Boston Latin School (BLS) was founded in 1635 by the town of Boston. For the first few years the town used public funds to support the school. Establishment of this school was greatly influenced by Reverend John Cotton, who wanted to create a school modeled after the Free Grammar School of Boston, England. Before construction of the school was finished, they held classes in John Cottons home.

1.1.1. If you would like to see photos of Reverend John Cotton and a brief overview of the BLS, click the links above!

2. How the BLS has shaped other schools:

2.1. Schools have changed a lot since 1635. One of the largest advancements in education is something one may not even think about and it is that women can now attend public school. The BLS started to let girls attend in 1972. With the advancements of technology all over the world, it has also improved in schools. Libraries have new great resources and some even have new 3D printers. A great example of the evolution of education is my US Honors History class at Miramar Community College. Part of our class is creating a digital project, such as this one. This would not be possible without the evolution of technology and classroom teaching styles.

3. Academics:

3.1. The Boston Latin School (BLS) was modeled after the Free Grammar School in England. Given the name BLS, one of the subjects that was taught was Latin. Other subjects included those categorized as "elementary subjects", such as mathematics, English, history, science and during the 1600's, religion. The first textbook ever used was called The New England Primer. This book was used to teach individuals how to read. Click the link if you want to see a picture of this textbook!

3.1.1. Click if you would like to see a photo of The New England Primer.

4. Famous faces of BLS:

4.1. During this time, women were not allowed to attend public schools. Although some women knew how to read/write, they were not formally taught in a school. Some notable BLS alumni include Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, Ralph Waldo Emerson and John Hancock. Click the comment to see what one former BLS alumni has to say about these men being fellow alum's! Click the right facing arrow to learn a little bit more about the famous faces of BLS from "Boston History in a Minute".

5. About me! I'm a college student at San Diego Miramar College that is hoping to become a teacher. I am also starting my digital history work, as seen here on this site (:

6. References: Here are the links for the sources I used on this site, and some others that I found interesting while doing my research paper. https://www.bls.org/ https://www.youtube.com/watch? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiAMWAKj6OI&t=44sv=dNCaf0EEv_c&t=1s://gottesman.pressible.org/govan/today-in-history-boston-latin-school-is-founde://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/03/23/boston-latin-has-place-american-history/ijs8qITtPKY