The New England Primer
Encyclopedia
The New England Primer was the first reading
primer
designed for the American Colonies. It became the most successful educational textbook
published in 18th century America and it became the foundation of most schooling before the 1790s
.
In the 17th century, the schoolbooks in use had been brought over from England. By 1690, Boston publishers were reprinting the English Protestant Tutor under the title of The New England Primer. The Primer included additional material that made it widely popular and colonial schools until it was supplanted by Noah Webster
's Blue Back Speller after 1790.
printer Benjamin Harris
, who had come to Boston
Massachusetts
in 1686 to escape the brief Catholic ascendancy under James II
. Based largely upon The Protestant Tutor, which he had published in England, The New-England Primer was the first reading primer
designed for the American Colonies.
While the selections in the New England Primer varied somewhat across time, there was standard content for beginning reading instruction. Included were the alphabet
, vowel
s, consonant
s, double letters and syllabariums of two letters to six letter syllables. The 90-page work contained religious maxims, woodcut
s, alphabetical assistants, acronyms
, catechism
s, and moral lessons. It was made with a thin sheet of horn or paper shellacked to a wooden board. The board was transfixed with a handle.
The primer remained in print well into the 19th century and was even used until the 20th century. A reported 2 million copies were sold in the 18th century. No copies of editions before 1727 are known to survive; earlier editions are known only from publishers' and booksellers' advertisements.
attitude and worldview of the day. Among the topics discussed are respect to parental figures, sin, and salvation. Some versions contained the Westminster Shorter Catechism
; others contained John Cotton's shorter catechism, known as Milk for Babes; and some contained both.
The Primer was built on rote memorization, the Puritans' distrust of uncontrolled speech and their preoccupation with childhood depravity. By simplifying Calvinist theology the Primer enabled the Puritan child to define the limits of his self by relating his life to the authority of God and his parents.
—1784 ed.
The text for L is alluded to in Washington Irving
's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
: . . . "like the lion bold, which whilom so magnanimously the lamb did hold" . . .
Reading (process)
Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols for the intention of constructing or deriving meaning . It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas...
primer
Primer (textbook)
A primer is a first textbook for teaching of reading, such as an alphabet book or basal reader. The word also is used more broadly to refer to any book that presents the most basic elements of a subject....
designed for the American Colonies. It became the most successful educational textbook
Textbook
A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...
published in 18th century America and it became the foundation of most schooling before the 1790s
History of education in the United States
The history of education in the United States, or foundations of education, covers the trends in educational philosophy, policy, institutions, as well as formal and informal learning in America from the 17th century to today.-New England:...
.
In the 17th century, the schoolbooks in use had been brought over from England. By 1690, Boston publishers were reprinting the English Protestant Tutor under the title of The New England Primer. The Primer included additional material that made it widely popular and colonial schools until it was supplanted by Noah Webster
Noah Webster
Noah Webster was an American educator, lexicographer, textbook pioneer, English spelling reformer, political writer, editor, and prolific author...
's Blue Back Speller after 1790.
History
The New England Primer was first published between 1687 and 1690 by EnglishEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
printer Benjamin Harris
Benjamin Harris (publisher)
Benjamin Harris an English publisher, a figure of the Popish Plot in England who then moved to New England as an early journalist...
, who had come to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in 1686 to escape the brief Catholic ascendancy under James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
. Based largely upon The Protestant Tutor, which he had published in England, The New-England Primer was the first reading primer
Primer (textbook)
A primer is a first textbook for teaching of reading, such as an alphabet book or basal reader. The word also is used more broadly to refer to any book that presents the most basic elements of a subject....
designed for the American Colonies.
While the selections in the New England Primer varied somewhat across time, there was standard content for beginning reading instruction. Included were the alphabet
Alphabet
An alphabet is a standard set of letters—basic written symbols or graphemes—each of which represents a phoneme in a spoken language, either as it exists now or as it was in the past. There are other systems, such as logographies, in which each character represents a word, morpheme, or semantic...
, vowel
Vowel
In phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language, such as English ah! or oh! , pronounced with an open vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air pressure at any point above the glottis. This contrasts with consonants, such as English sh! , where there is a constriction or closure at some...
s, consonant
Consonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
s, double letters and syllabariums of two letters to six letter syllables. The 90-page work contained religious maxims, woodcut
Woodcut
Woodcut—occasionally known as xylography—is a relief printing artistic technique in printmaking in which an image is carved into the surface of a block of wood, with the printing parts remaining level with the surface while the non-printing parts are removed, typically with gouges...
s, alphabetical assistants, acronyms
Acronym and initialism
Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations formed from the initial components in a phrase or a word. These components may be individual letters or parts of words . There is no universal agreement on the precise definition of the various terms , nor on written usage...
, catechism
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
s, and moral lessons. It was made with a thin sheet of horn or paper shellacked to a wooden board. The board was transfixed with a handle.
The primer remained in print well into the 19th century and was even used until the 20th century. A reported 2 million copies were sold in the 18th century. No copies of editions before 1727 are known to survive; earlier editions are known only from publishers' and booksellers' advertisements.
Theology
Many of its selections were drawn from the King James Bible and others were original. It embodied the dominant PuritanPuritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
attitude and worldview of the day. Among the topics discussed are respect to parental figures, sin, and salvation. Some versions contained the Westminster Shorter Catechism
Westminster Shorter Catechism
The Westminster Shorter Catechism was written in the 1640s by English and Scottish divines. The assembly also produced the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Larger Catechism...
; others contained John Cotton's shorter catechism, known as Milk for Babes; and some contained both.
The Primer was built on rote memorization, the Puritans' distrust of uncontrolled speech and their preoccupation with childhood depravity. By simplifying Calvinist theology the Primer enabled the Puritan child to define the limits of his self by relating his life to the authority of God and his parents.
Contents of the Primer
Two of the most famous example verses are as follows- Now I lay me down to sleep,
- I pray thee, Lord, my soul to keep;
- If I should die before I wake,
- I pray thee, Lord, my soul to take.
—1784 ed.
- In Adam's FallThe Fall of ManIn Christian doctrine, the Fall of Man, or simply the Fall, refers to the transition of the first humans from a state of innocent obedience to God to a state of guilty disobedience to God. In Genesis chapter 2, Adam and Eve live at first with God in a paradise, but the serpent tempts them into...
, - we sinned all.
The text for L is alluded to in Washington Irving
Washington Irving
Washington Irving was an American author, essayist, biographer and historian of the early 19th century. He was best known for his short stories "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle", both of which appear in his book The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. His historical works...
's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a short story by Washington Irving contained in his collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., written while he was living in Birmingham, England, and first published in 1820...
: . . . "like the lion bold, which whilom so magnanimously the lamb did hold" . . .
Editions and reprints
There have been many reprints of the New England Primer.- New England Primer: Improved for the More Easy Attaining the True Reading of English: To Which Is Added the Assembly of Divines, and Mr. Cotton's Catechism (1991, WallBuilders; note that this is the 1777 edition). ISBN 0-925279-17-X
- New England Primer: 1996, A Family & Homeschool Textbook. The 1843 Updated Edition with Lesson Plan. (© 1996, Richard E. Klenk Sr.; ISBN 0-9648958-0-3) A book, orig. a prayer book, used in teaching children to read or spell; hence, an elementary textbook. http://www.neprimer.com