In the early 1800s, American public education was rare. Most children were educated at home where they learned about the Bible and Christian values. In the 1800s, Horace Mann, a senator from Massachusetts, proposed free public education paid for with property taxes. These first schools were locally controlled and were held in one-room schoolhouses. They had one teacher who taught children of all ages, and most concentrated on studying agriculture.

This common school movement was meant to establish schools which would serve children of all social classes and religions. By the 1870s, all states had a public elementary education system, and the U.S. boasted one of the highest literacy rates in the world.