History of the Teaching of Astronomy in American High Schools

Abstract

Early American colonists had a deep interest in astronomy. Between 1725 and 1764, Nathaniel Ames published the Astronomical Diary and Almanac at Cambridge, Massachusetts. This was a brief, widely-circulated source of astronomical information. It averaged an amazing 60,000 sales per year, while the better known Poor Richard’s Almanac distributed only about 10,000 per year (Noble, 1970).Practical skills were the dominant theme in early colonial schools. The astronomy that was taught dealt with natural phenomena such as phases of the moon, eclipses, and, for practical purposes, navigation and time-keeping. Astronomy was also frequently taught as a part of what we today would call physical geography courses. This practical nature of our culture dominated American schools until about the middle of the 1800’s. Astronomy, as a separate subject, did appear in the curriculum of academies — forerunners of the modern American high school. A popular textbook of this period, An Easy Introduction to Astronomy For Young Gentlemen and Ladies, by James Ferguson, dated 1817, illustrates this point. It is almost completely devoted to the explanation of natural phenomena (Ferguson, 1817). It is a charming book, taught in classic dialogue form between the teacher and his students.