 
one reason george washington carver became a great man is that he went to 
school. 
he wanted an education. 
first, he learned to read and write. 
then he went to college and studied scientific agriculture. 
this training helped him get a research position and earn a better salary 
at tuskegee institute. 
while at tuskegee, he developed many new agricultural products that made 
him world-famous. 
none of this would have happened if carver had not gone to school. 
he probably would have remained a poor farmhand in missouri. 
throughout american history the school has been an important social 
institution. 
as shown by carver, it is one means to help people raise their station in 
life. 
american history is full of stories of poor people who found fame and 
fortune through education. 
president thomas jefferson pointed to another reason for schools. 
he said that, in order for a democracy to work, the people must be 
educated. 
how else can they deal with the difficult problems of their country and 
elect officials wisely? 
let us see what the educational system of the united states was like in 
the past. 
early schools were quite different from schools today. 
during colonial times many of the new england settlers were very 
religious. 
they sent their children to elementary school to learn how to read so that 
they could read the bible. 
the curriculum (that which is studied) consisted of the "three r"s": 
"readin"," ""ritin"" and ""rithmetic." 
a strong dose of religion was added to this. 
the children went to school for only three or four years. 
