Example of essay on the higher education of women in america prior to 1860

The establishment of Massachusetts’ Harvard College, in 1636, was the beginning of American higher education. Religious men who were educated in Britain’s Cambridge and Oxford Universities established this college. These men focused on training young men for leadership positions in colonial government ministries. However, young women were never considered for college attendance since they did not have positions in civil leadership or clerical works. The main aim of Harvard College was used to establish the other colleges found in America. As such, young women who attended these colleges would get basic education on literacy, which is similar to the current grammar school. Nevertheless, the American Revolution (1770-1789) led to the establishment of new purposes of American Colleges. This was favored by strong men such as Benjamin Rush and Thomas Jefferson. The objectives of these men were supported by women like Lucy Otis Warren who argued for rationality of enlightening all humans. This called for education of both female and male gender in society at equal levels. In spite of these advancements in the campaign for education of women, only a handful of colleges in America educated women prior to the 1861-to-1865 civil war.
The early women education was based on two forms; coeducation and single-sex education. As such, the earlier institutions, which were used, to educate women, were single-sex, which were followed by coeducation. Despite the establishment of these institutions, the institutions encountered a strong force from society, which was against education of women. This force was based on social norms, biological arguments, intellectual arguments, and religious arguments against education of women in society. The social stigmatization of women education in America reveals the beliefs and attitude of white, middle class of America. In addition, the stigmatization indicates the rapid demand of higher education for economic and social welfare of the nation. The higher education of women was accepted by male educators on the ground that it would lead fulfillment of pragmatic needs. This is because male educators believed that women did not have the intellectual capacity, which would allow them to study similar subjects as men. However, the wave of feminism created an opportunity for women to attain higher education.