HIST 1080 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Protestantism, Ragged Dick
8 Mar 2016
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Reading can be didactic (educational) or subversive (banned books, comics, reading in secret) Read the right thing but get the wrong message (e. g. bible) We forget how subversive and challenging reading can be. 1860: us & canada have among the highest literacy in the world. 94% literacy in us north (less in south, even for whites) But not slaves (80% of blacks= illiterate in 1870) Before 1830: chidlren learned to read hornbooks & the bible; few books specifically for kids. 1830-1850s: readers for children; morality is taught along with literacy. 1865: children"s books= growing market for fantasy, adventure. Hornbook: how children learned how to read, paddle w/ writing, way to learn abcs. Ryerson wanted to get rid of american books in the canadian educational system. Promote obedience to god and the kind (because canada was a british colony then) 1860s: almost all schools used irish readers, can be used because ireland is a british colony.
