Before the mid 1800's school policies were not strict about it, and the conditioned varied. Massachusetts and Vermont were the only two states that passed an attendance law before the civil war. The classrooms were not divided by grades, so younger and older students were in classes together. In the 1830's was when the Americans demanded tax support for the public schools. In 1834 Pennsylvania was the first state to create a tax supported public schools system. Many people opposed to this tax reform, because they did not want to pay for public school, if their child was going to go to private school later on. Opposition also came from German immigrants, because they did not want their children to forget about the German culture and language.

8.1 Education Reform

http://www.unpluggedmom.com/wp-content/up
loads/2010730700.gif

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/ED-AI626_ger
stn_E_20081130162827.jpg

http://politicalcontext.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/539w.jpg