War, Immigration and Adult Education: The History of Adult Education in the 1910’s
Danielle Staley
Ball State University
EDAC 631 Adult and Community Education
February 11, 2021
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Danielle Staley |
Abstract
The 1910’s brought a new age of immigration, the first World War and a new emergence of adult education. Reviewing adult education in the 1910’s shows how the dramatic increase in immigration into the United States and the realization of adult illiteracy during war resulted in the emergence of adult education programs focusing on English and literacy. The term “adult education” in the 1910’s does not have a clear definition of what makes someone an adult; adults will be defined in this review as men and women of mature or as “people who are old enough to work, vote, fight and marry and who have completed the cycle of continuous education, [if any] commenced in childhood” (Britannica, 2013). Education barriers across socioeconomic levels in America in the 1910’s effects the level of education achieved in childhood (The 1920’s Education: Overview). The desire to Americanize immigrants and the need to teach soldiers to read, sets the tone for adult education in the 1910’s.
Immigration and Government Aid
A rise in immigration numbers
Education underwent a movement in the 1910’s to assimilate the increasing numbers of foreign born people now living in America (The 1920’s Education: Topics in the News). The article titled, “The 1920’s Education: Topics in the News”, states that illiteracy among immigrants was a fundamental challenge for educators. According to the Library of Congress, there was an increase of more than 15 million immigrants between 1910 and 1915. This number of immigrants was equal to the previous 40 years of immigration and unlike earlier immigrants, most of these people came from non-English speaking countries. As these immigrant numbers drastically increased in America during these years, it is reported that the illiteracy rate grew to be as high as 25-35% by the 1920’s (The 1920’s Education: Topics in the News).
Literacy programs and the government
In 1907 the growth of immigrants being held on Ellis Island resulted in the New Jersey government passing legislation to allow for evening classes in both civics and English for the immigrants. The realization of how serious the adult literacy problem was began reaching more states in the following years. In 1913 Massachusetts appointed a special commission to write a report that would allow the state to spend money on the education of immigrants. Teachers were trained to not only teach English to immigrants, but they were also trained to teach factory classes. Between 1914 and 1920 the Bureau of Naturalization of the Immigration and Naturalization Services began work nationwide to ensure that immigrants were being taught English and classes in citizenship as well. (Atzmon, 1958)
When one refers to adult education being education taking place with adults of mature age, they are caught in the ambiguity of not knowing the highest level of education achieved by these adults. In the 1910’s the government had a large role in public education. This often led to large disparities in the quality of education given to children and teens. Britannica’s article, “The 1920’s Education: Overview” states:
“Public school systems were supported mainly through state and local taxes. That situation resulted in inequality among school districts. Those who lived and went to school in upscale cities and wealthy suburbs had more books, better buildings and equipment, and teachers who were higher paid and often better trained. Those pupils in poor rural areas had to make do with what little their school districts could put together. Standardization in schools through federal bureaucracy and government legislation was still in its infancy”.
Although there was a federal income tax put in place in 1913 to support public schools, the amount of funding that actually trickled down to the public schools was low. Much of the funding for public education was given by states. Educators were seeking more federal funding not only to aid instruction, but they were also seeking to make public education more equitable. (The 1920’s Education: Topics in the News) The lack of quality in education among children and teens in America, led to literacy becoming a problem during World War 1.
War and Literacy During World War 1
The United States government was greatly affected by the large number of illiteracy among its citizens when it realized that over 700,000 of the men called with fight in World War 1 could not read at all or could not read well enough to function in the army. WW1 was the first war fought with mechanized and technical weapons, air transportation and ground transportation. All of the above require some level of training and advanced knowledge. The lack of literacy in the soldiers made it nearly impossible to train them in the new technology. (Sticht, 2017)
Organizations help solider illiteracy
This obstacle was overcome with the help of organizations like the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) and Cora Wilson. Tom Sticht states that the YMCA established a group called The National War Work Council to aid in the education of soldiers. They provided reading and writing instructions for the education facilities established by the Army. One of the most notable of these instructions was the Camp Reader for American Soldiers that was published in 1918. According to the reader they used the following model, “the method here advocated lies in the simultaneous acquisition of the ability to read words, to recognize and differentiate articulate sounds and sound groups, to associate them with visual symbols, and to write these symbols”. Stitcht goes on to say that the Army expanded these efforts and developed Recruit Education Centers around the country. The goal of this was to educate recruits before they were deployed.
Moonlight schools and the Army
Cora Wilson played a large role in adult education for citizens and soldiers alike. In 1911 Wilson started teaching adult literacy to adults in the schools at night in Kentucky. They used the moonlight to cast enough light for them to see at night, thus the name Moonlight Schools came to be. Wilson recognized that adults and children should not be taught with the same materials, so she created her own material for adults. She created a newspaper for adults that used shorter sentences and word repetition. With this approach having great success, she then published two readers for adults based off of their daily duties.
When Wilson learned of the illiteracy plaguing the soldiers in WW1 she developed “The Soldier’s First Book” to teach the recruits in the Recruit Education Centers. The book used examples that were common to soldiers’ backgrounds and used patriotism and positive morale to help them engage with the information. Wilson then went on to be named the chairperson of President Hoover’s Commission on Illiteracy. (Tabler, 2017)
Influences of Adult Education in the 1910’s
The beginning of World War 1 in 1914 marked a significant change in Adult Education in America. Illiteracy levels were much higher than what those leading the country thought and they needed these men to be able to read, write and operate machinery. This issue led to people like Cora Wilson and her Moonlight schools to gain traction and increase literacy programs available to adults. Her programs quickly grew and by 1915 her programs were reaching thousands of adults in Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi. (Tabler, 2017)
The YMCA also had a significant part in the education of adults in the 1910’s. As mentioned previously, the YMCA played a role in the education of soldiers during the war; however, along with other community organizations like churches and libraries they aided in the education of immigrants (Atzmon, 1958). Another significant change in adult education during this time was the effort to teach educators to teach adults. The Carnegie and Ford Foundations took the charge in forming associations to train and educate professionals in adult education. They took part in research, analyzed the information found about adult education and provided guidance to those in government making policies about education. (Sticht, 2002)
Implications of Adult Education in the 1910’s
It is fair to say that the 1910’s began another revolution in the world of adult education. Prior to this time, school attendance was not great during childhood which led to a severe lack of literacy in adulthood. This became apparent during the war and with a surge of immigration. Many organizations and people stepped up to fix this problem. This era shows us the importance how early education can greatly affect the workforce in America. The Army was not the only workforce effected during the 1910’s; the amount of non-English speaking immigrants coming to America and joining the workforce created a problem. Due to the war and immigration, adult education had a heavy emphasis on literacy during this time. The 1910’s showed just how important literacy is to communities, the workforce and to defending America.
References
Sticht, Thomas. (2017). Fighting Illiteracy in Times of War: An anthology of brief historical notes
"The 1920s Education: Overview." U*X*L American Decades. Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/culture-magazines/1920s-education-overview
"The 1920s Education: Topics in the News." U*X*L American Decades. Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/culture-magazines/1920s-education-topics-news
Immigrants in the Progressive era: Progressive era to new era, 1900-1929: Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/progressive-era-to-new-era-1900-1929/immigrants-in-progressive-era/
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2013, October 3). Adult education. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/adult-education
Sticht, T. G. (2002). The rise of the adult education and Literacy system in the United States 1600-2000. In The Rise of the Adult Education and Literacy System in the United States 1600-2000 (Vol. 3). Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse.
Atzmon, E. (1958). The Educational Programs for Immigrants in the United States. History of Education Journal, 9(3), 75-80.
Tabler, D., Says:, D., Says:, A., & Says:, W. (2021, January 14). Kentucky's moonlight schools. https://www.appalachianhistory.net/2017/12/kentuckys-moonlight-schools.html
Areas: | Summary: |
Social Background | World War 1, rising immigration from non-English speaking countries and rising illiteracy numbers |
Highlights | Government seeks to “Americanize” immigrants and teach English, Legislation passed to teach English and Civics, Government teaching literacy to soldiers |
Influential Facts | United States Government, YMCA, Cora Wilson |
Implications | Organizations work with communities to fix literacy rates, government gains interest in education |
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