First Lessons in Natural Philosophy: Designed to Teach the Elements of the Science.
Item
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Title
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First Lessons in Natural Philosophy: Designed to Teach the Elements of the Science.
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Creator
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Richard Green Parker
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Description
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During the 19th century, parents and educators debated over the type of scientific training that female students should receive. After the Revolution, girl’s textbooks changed, and they went from offering training in “domestic science”—that to be applied for domestic tasks such as cooking—to “pure science,” by the 1850's. Parents understood that domestic science was something their daughters could learn at home. Pure science, instead, was believed to be a tool to strengthen the female character and stimulate morale and mental discipline. This type of knowledge, in turn, would better prepare them for motherhood.
This source shows the cover page of a book by Richard Green Parker. It is an example of a textbook offering training in “pure science” from an early age. In it, both girls and boy are depicted as students of the scientific discipline. This would drastically change by the turn of the 20th century, when science became a subject exclusively targeted towards boys in both textbooks and popular culture.
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Publisher
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A. S. Barnes & Burr
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Date
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1859
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Source
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Richard Green Parker. 1859. First lessons in natural philosophy: designed to teach the elements of the science. New York: A. S. Barnes & Burr. https://archive.org/details/firstlessonsinna00parkuoft/page/n5/mode/2up
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Rights
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No visible notice of copyright
