About: Educating the Youth of Pennsylvania
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In 1749, Benjamin Franklin published his educational call to arms, Proposals Relating to the Education of Youth in Pensilvania. In it, Franklin set forth a radically new template for educating students, one that stressed social utility, secular independence, and an English language-based curriculum. This slim pamphlet led to the creation of the University of Pennsylvania, the fourth oldest institution of higher education in North America.

But what were schools like in the early Delaware Valley? Who received an education, how, and where? Who were the teachers, and what was taught? Drawing on the collections of the University of Pennsylvania Library, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and other Philadelphia-area libraries, museums, and schools, this exhibition surveys the educational landscape of the period and investigates the importance, originality, and ongoing relevance of Franklin’s vision. It includes original documents, printed books, and artifacts, as well as photographs of surviving school buildings. The exhibition will be accompanied by a multi-media website, a printed catalogue to be published in the spring, and a series of public programs on the history and present state of education in America.

Small groups are welcome; to make arrangements please call phone 215-898-7088, or email: rbml@pobox.upenn.edu