Lyceum movement
Encyclopedia
The lyceum movement in the United States
was a trend in architecture inspired by (or at least named for) Aristotle
's Lyceum
in ancient Greece
. (The Lyceum was the school outside Athens where he taught, 335–332 BC.)
Lyceums—in the sense of organizations that sponsored public programs and entertainments—flourished in the mid-19th century, particularly in the northeast and middle west, and some lasted until the early 20th century.
Many of the halls in which the public lectures, concerts, and similar programs were presented, and which were named "Lyceum," exist to this day.
, and agriculture organizations that flourished in the United States before and after the Civil War were important in the development of adult education in America. During this period hundreds of informal associations were established for the purpose of improving the social, intellectual, and moral fabric of society. The lyceum movement — with its lectures, dramatic performances, class instructions, and debates — contributed significantly to the education of the adult American in the nineteenth century and provided the cultural framework for many of the areas of influence. Noted lecturers, entertainers and readers would travel the "lyceum circuit," going from town to town or state to state to entertain, speak, or debate in a variety of locations.
lyceum, "Millbury
Branch Number 1 of the American Lyceum," was founded by Josiah Holbrook
in 1826. Holbrook was a traveling lecturer and teacher who believed that education was a lifelong experience, and intended to create a National American Lyceum organization that would oversee this method of teaching. Other educators adopted the lyceum format but were not interested in organizing, so this idea was ultimately dropped.
and Henry David Thoreau
endorsed the movement and gave speeches at many local lyceums. As a young man, Abraham Lincoln
gave a speech to a Lyceum in Springfield, Illinois
.
, lyceums were increasingly used as a venue for travelling entertainers, such as vaudeville
and minstrel show
s. However, they were still used for public speeches, and notable public figures such as Susan B. Anthony
, Elizabeth Cady Stanton
, Victoria Woodhull
, Anna Dickinson, Mark Twain
, and William Lloyd Garrison
all spoke at lyceums in the late 19th century.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
was a trend in architecture inspired by (or at least named for) Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
's Lyceum
Lyceum
The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies between countries; usually it is a type of secondary school.-History:...
in ancient Greece
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
. (The Lyceum was the school outside Athens where he taught, 335–332 BC.)
Lyceums—in the sense of organizations that sponsored public programs and entertainments—flourished in the mid-19th century, particularly in the northeast and middle west, and some lasted until the early 20th century.
Many of the halls in which the public lectures, concerts, and similar programs were presented, and which were named "Lyceum," exist to this day.
Purpose
The lyceums, mechanics’ institutesMechanics' Institutes
Historically, Mechanics' Institutes were educational establishments formed to provide adult education, particularly in technical subjects, to working men...
, and agriculture organizations that flourished in the United States before and after the Civil War were important in the development of adult education in America. During this period hundreds of informal associations were established for the purpose of improving the social, intellectual, and moral fabric of society. The lyceum movement — with its lectures, dramatic performances, class instructions, and debates — contributed significantly to the education of the adult American in the nineteenth century and provided the cultural framework for many of the areas of influence. Noted lecturers, entertainers and readers would travel the "lyceum circuit," going from town to town or state to state to entertain, speak, or debate in a variety of locations.
Origins
The first AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
lyceum, "Millbury
Millbury, Massachusetts
Millbury is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,261 at the 2010 census. The town is part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor.-History:...
Branch Number 1 of the American Lyceum," was founded by Josiah Holbrook
Josiah Holbrook
Josiah Holbrook was the founder of the Lyceum movement in the United States. He spent most of his life promoting the movement and manufacturing scientific tools for use in lyceums.-References:* *...
in 1826. Holbrook was a traveling lecturer and teacher who believed that education was a lifelong experience, and intended to create a National American Lyceum organization that would oversee this method of teaching. Other educators adopted the lyceum format but were not interested in organizing, so this idea was ultimately dropped.
Peak of the movement
The Lyceum Movement reached the peak of its popularity in the antebellum era. Public Lyceums were set up around the country, as far as Florida and Detroit. Transcendentalists such as Ralph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
and Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, historian, and leading transcendentalist...
endorsed the movement and gave speeches at many local lyceums. As a young man, Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
gave a speech to a Lyceum in Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
.
Lyceum as entertainment
After the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, lyceums were increasingly used as a venue for travelling entertainers, such as vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
and minstrel show
Minstrel show
The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music, performed by white people in blackface or, especially after the Civil War, black people in blackface....
s. However, they were still used for public speeches, and notable public figures such as Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony
Susan Brownell Anthony was a prominent American civil rights leader who played a pivotal role in the 19th century women's rights movement to introduce women's suffrage into the United States. She was co-founder of the first Women's Temperance Movement with Elizabeth Cady Stanton as President...
, Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was an American social activist, abolitionist, and leading figure of the early woman's movement...
, Victoria Woodhull
Victoria Woodhull
Victoria Claflin Woodhull was an American leader of the woman's suffrage movement, an advocate of free love; together with her sister, the first women to operate a brokerage in Wall Street; the first women to start a weekly newspaper; an activist for women's rights and labor reforms and, in 1872,...
, Anna Dickinson, Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
, and William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison was a prominent American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. He is best known as the editor of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, and as one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society, he promoted "immediate emancipation" of slaves in the United...
all spoke at lyceums in the late 19th century.
Further reading
- Ray, Angela G. The Lyceum and Public Culture in the Nineteenth Century United States. E. Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2005.
- Powell, E. P., “The Rise and Decline of the New England Lyceum”, The New England Magazine, Vol. 17, No. 6 (February 1895), pp. 730–739.
External links
- The Lyceum Site at Assumption CollegeAssumption CollegeAssumption College is a private, Roman Catholic, liberal arts college located on 185 acres in Worcester, Massachusetts. Assumption has an enrollment of about 2,117 undergraduates...