The Development of Public Education in the City of Baltimore, 1839-1866

In the nineteenth century, because of its  location at the head of the Chesapeake Bay  and its proximity to the west, Baltimore became  a natural terminus of internal American trade on  the Atlantic seaboard. The city, in addition to developing its contacts with the expanding west, concentrated on its maritime pursuits and gained world renown for the perfection of its swift-sailing schooners, the clipper ships. Its valuable contributions to the development of the railroad and the magnetic telegraph were further evidences of Baltimore’s continued interest in facilitating transportation and communication.

Unfortunately, the history of Baltimore from 1850 to the Civil War was marked by destructive fires, disastrous floods, and disgraceful riots. From 1854 to 1860, the corruption and violence of the Know-Nothing party earned the city the epithet, “mob town,” and it was not until 1860 that a victory of the Democratic party brought about needed municipal reforms. Despite the sordidness of the times, constructive forces were at work. Cultural, educational, and civic improvements were made; philanthropic endowments were increased; and advanced in commerce and industry were notable.

Baltimore’s location destined it to become identified with both the North and the South during the Civil war. Although the city experienced a long period of harsh military occupation at the hands of the Federal forces, Baltimore escaped many of the ravages of war. It was in this historic setting that the public schools of Baltimore experienced an era of significant growth and expansion. The period 1839-66 was the formative period of public education in Baltimore and the system which evolved was the product of years of test and trial.

The control of the schools remained in the hands of the Board of School Commissioners, which was elected annually by the City Council. The growth of the system made it difficult for this group of laymen to perform their functions effectively. Duties of the superintendence gradually became part of the responsibilities of the Treasurer of the Board. When revisions in municipal financial procedures relieved the treasurer of many of his tasks, he was able to devote his time to duties of a professional nature. The office of treasurer was abolished on June 20, 1866, and John N. M’Jilton was appointed the first Superintendent of Public Instruction.

The class system of instruction was introduced and the services of the schools were expanded to include secondary schools for girls; separate primary schools for beginning students; and a nautical school for boys. The program for boys’ high school was increased to five years and that of the girls' to four years. A primary objective of this additional year of instruction was to prepare youth for teaching in the schools.

The need for a “normal school” was deeply felt, but it was not until 1866 that the Maryland State Normal School was founded. Professional examinations, teachers’ institutes, and normal classes were among the attempts to raise standards of the teaching profession.

The establishment of the Public Floating School, in 1857, marked a significant contribution in the field of vocational education, and also represented a community approach to the solution of an educational problem. In further response to community needs and demands, the evening schools were successfully operated.

From 1839 to 1866, the commissioners struggled to house the school population. The total school budget grew from less than twenty-five thousand dollars, in 1840, to over a quarter of a million dollars in, 1865, and the main sources of revenue were derived, for the most part, from a municipal school tax and from tuition fees. The appropriations, however, proved inadequate to the demands, and the salaries of the professional staff remained generally low.

The Maryland School Law of 1865 was interpreted as a threat to the mayor and City Council over the control of Baltimore public schools, and it was not until 1867 that a further revision of the Maryland Constitution, with its resulting new school law, restored the municipal authorities with the power to regulate the public schools through their ordinances and resolutions.

The number of public schools increased from nine, in 1839, to eighty-eight in 1866; and their total enrollment grew from 1,226 to 18,307. Drop-outs continued to be alarming and the magnitude of non-attendance caused commissioners to advocate a compulsory education law in Maryland.

Despite the growth of the public schools from 1839 to 1866, the majority of school-age children in Baltimore continued to be educated in the numerous private schools. The commissioners labored to overcome prejudices against the schools–in particular, the objection that they were “poor” schools. Various attempts were made to inform the public of what the schools were trying to accomplish and to present them in a favorable light. Included among the aims of public education were the development of the true patriotic citizen and the inculcation of moral and spiritual values considered essential to good character.

In this era of forward movement, the schools tried to keep pace with the growth of the city and with advances made in public instruction in other parts of the country. The efforts of the commissioners, which were strongly motivated by a zeal for public education, received the unqualified praise of educators who visited the schools of the city. Notwithstanding the disturbing influences of the Civil War, the schools continued relatively uninterrupted