William Channing Woodbridge
Encyclopedia
William Channing Woodbridge (December 8, 1794 – November 9, 1845) was an American geographer
, educational reformer
, and the author of many geography
textbooks.
graduate, a minister, and a major advocate for educational change in Connecticut
. The senior Woodbridge wrote textbooks on grammar and spelling, was the first preceptor of Phillips Academy
. He worked with his son on some of the younger Woodbridge’s projects. His mother was Ann Channing, the aunt of Bostonian Unitarian
theologian William Ellery Channing
.
William Channing Woodbridge was born in Medford, Massachusetts
. His family soon moved to Connecticut
, where his parents taught him Latin, Greek, chemistry and mathematics. Throughout his life, he suffered from what was then called scrofula
, which today probably be diagnosed as tuberculosis
.
. Woodbridge developed an interest in both the American landscape and in the publication of geographies. Many of the values later reflected in his publications were those of Yale at this time. Woodbridge was a true son of the Enlightenment
, believing in the importance of reason and observation. However, like Dwight he remained a committed evangelical Christian
. Woodbridge rejected the Unitarian
ideas which were then influencing so many of his friends and relatives. He believed passionately in science, but he was certain that this knowledge of the material world could only lead people closer to God and to a firmer morality. He believed in the essential unity of all humans. After discussing the location of the various races of mankind, his 1830 edition of Rudiments of Geography reminds readers, “The scriptures inform us that all of these races are brethren of the same family; the children of the same first parents.”
with the hope of studying theology
and becoming a missionary
. When ill health made this impossible, he turned to teaching. Eventually, he accepted a position as an instructor with Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet
at the Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb
in Hartford, Connecticut
. Here, he pioneered in teaching geography to the disabled. Woodbridge also began work on a small geography text which would eventually be published as Rudiments of Geography.
. He was desperate to improve his health and keen to meet prominent European educators and visit their schools. He also wanted to gather material for an expanded geography. He traveled via Gibraltar
and Algeciras
to Palermo
, Livorno
, and Rome
. He returned to Hartford in July 1821, where he began writing a new and greatly expanded geography that would incorporate what he had learned in Europe. It was eventually published 1824 as A System of Universal Geography. The book would remain in print, with small variations in title, until 1866.
, where Philipp Emanuel von Fellenberg
had established an influential experimental school. Woodbridge was in Paris in January 1827, correcting proofs of his new geography textbook. He had made the acquaintance of the great German explorer, scholar, and student of physical geography Alexander von Humboldt
. Woodbridge continued to correspond with von Humboldt and incorporated many of von Humboldt’s ideas in his geographies. In the introduction to his new geography text he thanked von Humboldt and the Geographical Society of Paris for their assistance. Woodbridge then went back to Hofwyl, probably sometime in 1828, before returning to New England in 1829.
. Together they worked on many geography texts. Their complex publication efforts had begun in the early 1820s. When both were growing up, their families lived within five miles of each other in Connecticut. Both shared a passionate interest in causes like educational reform and the education of women. Because it had originally been intended to publish Woodbridge’s Rudiments of Geography with an early geography by Willard, and because Willard’s Ancient Geography was eventually published with Woodbridge’s work as Universal Geography, there was considerable confusion about the role of each author. Emma Willard had to publicly assure readers that the “system of modern geography” had been entirely written and arranged by Woodbridge. Their various combined geographies proved to be very successful. By 1827, they had reached an arrangement to pool and split royalties; Woodbridge would get five sevenths of the money and Willard would receive two sevenths. This seems to have reflected their relative contributions. Woodbridge seems to have done most of the updating as well as handling many of the financial arrangements with the publishers. Throughout Woodbridge’s life the two authors remained on cordial terms. Kimberly Tolley has recently argued that the Woodbridge and Willard geographies, with their strong emphasis on field work and observation, were important in encouraging American women to develop an interest in science and Daniel H. Calhoun has made the case for their importance in the world view of Americans in the Jacksonian era.
Maps were Woodbridge's passion. Often his text would begin with the student’s home or classroom and work outwards to the wider world. He was a member of the Geographical societies of Paris, Frankfurt and Berlin, scanning their pages for new information. Geoffery Martin has called Woodbridge, “one of the most reliable mapmakers of his time.” This is ironic because some modern readers are struck by the relatively few number of maps in some of his works; this is often because many were bound and sold together with a small atlas. These atlases, which usually command higher value in the antique market than the texts, have often been separated from their original companions.
. He actively campaigned for improvement in the Common schools of Massachusetts. He became a leader in the “Society for the Relief and Improvement of the African Race.” Throughout the 1830s and early 1840s he continued to expand, update, and revise his textbooks. In particular, over time, there is a noticeable improvement in the number and quality of maps and illustrations. In addition to constant sickness, Woodbridge spent most of his life in near poverty. Income from one book was often used to improve the next and he was unable to resist an appeal from anyone in need. In search of improved health and for new information for his geographies, Woodbridge returned to Europe in 1836. His young wife eventually joined him there, but died in Frankfurt
in 1840, leaving Woodbridge with the care of their two small children. He traveled to Berlin
for the winter of 1841-1842 and then returned to Boston. His health continued to deteriorate, and hoping that a more tropical climate would relieve his symptoms, he spent the last three winters of his life in St. Croix, in what was then Danish Territory, but is now part of the United States Virgin Islands
. An illustration the 1847 edition of his Modern School Geography shows Woodbridge working in his study there with a map on the wall and a shelf of books (p. ix). William Channing Woodbridge died in Boston in 1845 and is buried in Marblehead, Massachusetts.
Geographer
A geographer is a scholar whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society.Although geographers are historically known as people who make maps, map making is actually the field of study of cartography, a subset of geography...
, educational reformer
Education reform
Education reform is the process of improving public education. Small improvements in education theoretically have large social returns, in health, wealth and well-being. Historically, reforms have taken different forms because the motivations of reformers have differed.A continuing motivation has...
, and the author of many geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
textbooks.
Early life and family
Woodbridge's father, William Woodbridge, was a Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
graduate, a minister, and a major advocate for educational change in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. The senior Woodbridge wrote textbooks on grammar and spelling, was the first preceptor of Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy
Phillips Academy is a selective, co-educational independent boarding high school for boarding and day students in grades 9–12, along with a post-graduate year...
. He worked with his son on some of the younger Woodbridge’s projects. His mother was Ann Channing, the aunt of Bostonian Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
theologian William Ellery Channing
William Ellery Channing
Dr. William Ellery Channing was the foremost Unitarian preacher in the United States in the early nineteenth century and, along with Andrews Norton, one of Unitarianism's leading theologians. He was known for his articulate and impassioned sermons and public speeches, and as a prominent thinker...
.
William Channing Woodbridge was born in Medford, Massachusetts
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
. His family soon moved to Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, where his parents taught him Latin, Greek, chemistry and mathematics. Throughout his life, he suffered from what was then called scrofula
Scrofula
Tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis refers to a lymphadenitis of the cervical lymph nodes associated with tuberculosis. It was previously known as "scrofula".-The disease:...
, which today probably be diagnosed as tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
.
Career at Yale
In June 1808, Woodbridge entered Yale as the youngest member of his freshman class. Here, he was inspired by Yale College's president, Timothy Dwight IVTimothy Dwight IV
Timothy Dwight was an American academic and educator, a Congregationalist minister, theologian, and author...
. Woodbridge developed an interest in both the American landscape and in the publication of geographies. Many of the values later reflected in his publications were those of Yale at this time. Woodbridge was a true son of the Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
, believing in the importance of reason and observation. However, like Dwight he remained a committed evangelical Christian
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
. Woodbridge rejected the Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
ideas which were then influencing so many of his friends and relatives. He believed passionately in science, but he was certain that this knowledge of the material world could only lead people closer to God and to a firmer morality. He believed in the essential unity of all humans. After discussing the location of the various races of mankind, his 1830 edition of Rudiments of Geography reminds readers, “The scriptures inform us that all of these races are brethren of the same family; the children of the same first parents.”
Teaching the disabled
Upon graduation, Woodbridge briefly attended Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
with the hope of studying theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and becoming a missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
. When ill health made this impossible, he turned to teaching. Eventually, he accepted a position as an instructor with Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet
Reverend Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, LL.D., was a renowned American pioneer in the education of the Deaf. Along with Laurent Clerc and Mason Cogswell, he co-founded the first institution for the education of the Deaf in North America, and he became its first principal...
at the Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb
American School for the Deaf
The American School for the Deaf is the oldest permanent school for the deaf in the United States. It was founded April 15, 1817 in Hartford, Connecticut by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc and became a state-supported school in 1817.-History:...
in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
. Here, he pioneered in teaching geography to the disabled. Woodbridge also began work on a small geography text which would eventually be published as Rudiments of Geography.
Travel to Europe
In October 1820, Woodbridge left his teaching job and traveled to EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. He was desperate to improve his health and keen to meet prominent European educators and visit their schools. He also wanted to gather material for an expanded geography. He traveled via Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
and Algeciras
Algeciras
Algeciras is a port city in the south of Spain, and is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar . Port of Algeciras is one of the largest ports in Europe and in the world in three categories: container,...
to Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, Livorno
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
, and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. He returned to Hartford in July 1821, where he began writing a new and greatly expanded geography that would incorporate what he had learned in Europe. It was eventually published 1824 as A System of Universal Geography. The book would remain in print, with small variations in title, until 1866.
Second trip to Europe
For Woodbridge, understanding European thinkers was critical to improving American education. In the fall of 1824, he left the United States for a second and more extended trip across the Atlantic. The small amount of money he earned from books was insufficient to support even his very humble lifestyle. Therefore, he supplemented his earnings by teaching the disabled. For all of his admiration of European educators and geographers, he decided they were behind the United States in two areas: female education and teaching the disabled. Woodbridge spent the summer of 1826 teaching in Hofwil, SwitzerlandHofwil
Hofwil is a village in the canton of Berne, Switzerland, part of the municipality of Münchenbuchsee.-External links:...
, where Philipp Emanuel von Fellenberg
Philipp Emanuel von Fellenberg
Philipp Emanuel von Fellenberg was a Swiss educationist and agronomist.-Biography:He was born at Bern. His father was of patrician family, and a man of importance in his canton, and his mother was a granddaughter of the Dutch admiral Van Tromp...
had established an influential experimental school. Woodbridge was in Paris in January 1827, correcting proofs of his new geography textbook. He had made the acquaintance of the great German explorer, scholar, and student of physical geography Alexander von Humboldt
Alexander von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt was a German naturalist and explorer, and the younger brother of the Prussian minister, philosopher and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt...
. Woodbridge continued to correspond with von Humboldt and incorporated many of von Humboldt’s ideas in his geographies. In the introduction to his new geography text he thanked von Humboldt and the Geographical Society of Paris for their assistance. Woodbridge then went back to Hofwyl, probably sometime in 1828, before returning to New England in 1829.
Work with William A. Alcott
It was in Hartford, in the spring of 1830, that Woodbridge met William A. Alcott. Alcott would later remember the meeting, writing that he had entered a tavern, just as Woodbridge was leaving. He asked the publican who that was and was told that it was William Channing Woodbridge, who was a great friend of education. Alcott followed Woodbridge down the street and introduced himself. He was astonished when Woodbridge responded to the introduction with a question; "what is the great practical error in all of our school education?" Without hesitation, Alcott replied that it was,”the strange effort to crowd the intellect at the expense of health, morals, and everything else.” These words, Alcott wrote, “bound as friends for life.” By 1831, Woodbridge had shifted his base of operations from Hartford to Boston. The first joint effort of Woodbridge and Alcott was the publication of an improved educational journal. In 1831, Woodbridge purchased the American Journal of Education, which was renamed the Annals of Education. Over the next five years Alcott and Woodbridge contributed many articles and textbook reviews to the Annals. Woodbridge and Alcott filled the Annals with a wide range of articles on educational topics, reflected on developments in Europe, and pressed for educational reform. They were particularly concerned with women’s education and with incorporating the ideas of Joseph Heinrich Pestalozzi and the French reformer Joseph Jocotot into American schools, both of whom had stressed the importance of observation and of geography. By the time hard times swept away their control of the Annals in 1836, its reputation as the leading American educational publication was firmly established.Publication with Emma Willard
For some time Woodbridge had also been associated with Emma WillardEmma Willard
Emma Hart Willard was an American women’s rights activist who dedicated her life to education. She worked in several schools and founded the first school for women’s higher education, the Troy Female Seminary in Troy, New York...
. Together they worked on many geography texts. Their complex publication efforts had begun in the early 1820s. When both were growing up, their families lived within five miles of each other in Connecticut. Both shared a passionate interest in causes like educational reform and the education of women. Because it had originally been intended to publish Woodbridge’s Rudiments of Geography with an early geography by Willard, and because Willard’s Ancient Geography was eventually published with Woodbridge’s work as Universal Geography, there was considerable confusion about the role of each author. Emma Willard had to publicly assure readers that the “system of modern geography” had been entirely written and arranged by Woodbridge. Their various combined geographies proved to be very successful. By 1827, they had reached an arrangement to pool and split royalties; Woodbridge would get five sevenths of the money and Willard would receive two sevenths. This seems to have reflected their relative contributions. Woodbridge seems to have done most of the updating as well as handling many of the financial arrangements with the publishers. Throughout Woodbridge’s life the two authors remained on cordial terms. Kimberly Tolley has recently argued that the Woodbridge and Willard geographies, with their strong emphasis on field work and observation, were important in encouraging American women to develop an interest in science and Daniel H. Calhoun has made the case for their importance in the world view of Americans in the Jacksonian era.
Publication of On the Best Methods of Teaching Geography
In 1834 Woodbridge presented and later published ”On the Best Methods of Teaching Geography.” This is almost certainly the first extended discussion geographic education written by an American. The need for such an effort reflected the growing importance of geography in American schools. In his essay, Woodbridge argued that simple memorization of names was insufficient; each word had to be supported in the student’s mind by a clearly defined concept. The active use of maps was essential because those being taught had to see places in relation to each other. He felt that the small amount of knowledge that could be acquired in a classroom was not of much practical use to travelers, explorers, soldiers or missionaries; the real importance of geography was to lead the students outside his own limited experience and to learn to see themselves as part of a larger human family. The well-taught student of geography, he argued, should learn to wonder without condemning and to smile at some new experience without contempt.Legacy in authorship
By modern standards, Woodbridge’s books are small. Rudiments of geography, one of the smallest, was only six by three and a half inches (15 x 9 cm). The same illustrations were often used in several different books, as they were expensive to create. In content, Woodbridge’s geographies stress several common points. He saw physical geography as more important than human, simply because it was less likely to change. He introduced many European ideas about the planet to American audiences. In his discussions of the human condition in various regions, Woodbridge emphasised that the human condition in any part of the globe is primarily the product of access to education and opportunity. Climate, religion, and the nature of governments played some role, but he had no place for the racial slurs that were to disfigure so many American textbooks of the second half of the nineteenth century. He regarded the way in which societies treated and educated women as a useful measure of their degree of enlightenment. His geographies, like almost all of the schools they were intended for, were overtly Christian, but could never be mistaken for religious tracts.Maps were Woodbridge's passion. Often his text would begin with the student’s home or classroom and work outwards to the wider world. He was a member of the Geographical societies of Paris, Frankfurt and Berlin, scanning their pages for new information. Geoffery Martin has called Woodbridge, “one of the most reliable mapmakers of his time.” This is ironic because some modern readers are struck by the relatively few number of maps in some of his works; this is often because many were bound and sold together with a small atlas. These atlases, which usually command higher value in the antique market than the texts, have often been separated from their original companions.
Personal life
In 1832 Woodbridge married Lucy Ann Reed, who had been an assistant teacher in Marblehead, MassachusettsMarblehead, Massachusetts
Marblehead is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,808 at the 2010 census. It is home to the Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and Devereux Beach...
. He actively campaigned for improvement in the Common schools of Massachusetts. He became a leader in the “Society for the Relief and Improvement of the African Race.” Throughout the 1830s and early 1840s he continued to expand, update, and revise his textbooks. In particular, over time, there is a noticeable improvement in the number and quality of maps and illustrations. In addition to constant sickness, Woodbridge spent most of his life in near poverty. Income from one book was often used to improve the next and he was unable to resist an appeal from anyone in need. In search of improved health and for new information for his geographies, Woodbridge returned to Europe in 1836. His young wife eventually joined him there, but died in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
in 1840, leaving Woodbridge with the care of their two small children. He traveled to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
for the winter of 1841-1842 and then returned to Boston. His health continued to deteriorate, and hoping that a more tropical climate would relieve his symptoms, he spent the last three winters of his life in St. Croix, in what was then Danish Territory, but is now part of the United States Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean...
. An illustration the 1847 edition of his Modern School Geography shows Woodbridge working in his study there with a map on the wall and a shelf of books (p. ix). William Channing Woodbridge died in Boston in 1845 and is buried in Marblehead, Massachusetts.