The role of scientific and technical education in early industrialisation in america and england

Abstract

The Industrial Revolution in Britain quickly influenced key areas of the United States, and most notably Massachusetts. Close parallels are to be found in the experiences of the two countries, despite myths to the contrary. This is well illustrated by the scientific and technical education developments of the early industrial period. Although Massachusetts had the great advantage of a long established and tax supported universal elementary system close contact with Britain through its key port of Boston saw English educational initiatives like the Mechanic's Institutes rapidly copied, or repeated with a North American flavour as in the Lyceum movement. Both countries had a firmly established class system and shared assumptions such as science would produce more effective workmen, more law-abiding citizens, and that the working class student often held the key to industrial innovations. The American élites were blunter in expressing their belief that education was about social conditioning, and thus viewed scientific and technical education as a wholly good thing. Finally, both countries saw the development of industry exposing their amateurism and the new societies emerging pushing to one side the assumption that amateur science had a central role to play. Although amateur science remained influential for a longer period in Britain and America than in other areas of Europe the rise of the new professions saw this curbed by the later Nineteenth Century. © 1983 The Vocational Aspect of Education Ltd.