Early American Chemistry Books For Children

Abstract

A surprising number of early American chemistry books were written for children. While most were at an intermediate level, this paper reviews three that were written for the early grades. These books provide a quaint insight into the society as well as the science of the nineteenth century. Since they were small and cheaply made, only a few copies have survived. Figure 1 contains black and write reproductions of the title pages as well as a color photograph of the three books. To illustrate their style, several pages of each are available in the supporting files: la11.pdf (178 Kbytes), davy.pdf (974 Kbytes), and green.pdf (318 Kbytes).

The early American spirit of inevitable progress was as wide as the new United States itself. The faith that society could “lift itself by its bootstraps” prompted an emphasis on applied science. Independence from Europe, conquering the west, and utilization of natural resources created a demand for technical education. Public lectures on science were eagerly attended by adults. Colleges replaced classical studies with practical subjects. Chemistry became a standard course in academies and high schools.