Lyceum movement
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The Lyceum Movement in the United States was an early form of organized adult education based on Aristotle's Lyceum in Ancient Greece. Lyceums flourished in the mid-19th century particularly in the northeastern and midwestern U.S., and some lasted until the early 20th century.
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Purpose
A Lyceum in the sense of the 19th-century movement was a public speaking house where anyone could come to hear lectures or participate in debates. It developed from the 18th-century town hall, which was becoming an unstable form of government because of the increasing size of towns.Origins
The first American lyceum, "Millsbury Branch, Number 1 of the American Lyceum", was founded by Josiah Holbrook in 1826. Holbrook was a travelling 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 Emerson 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.Lyceum as entertainment
After the American Civil War, lyceums were increasingly used as a venue for travelling entertainers, such as vaudeville and minstrel shows. However, they were still used for public speeches, and notable public figures such as Susan B. Anthony, Mark Twain, and William Lloyd Garrison all spoke at lyceums in the late 19th century.References
- Fithian, Dana. [The Lyceum Movement: A Revolution in American Education] 19 April 2000.
- Maxwell, Jeffrey Scott. [The Lyceum Movement]. 10 November 2000.
External links
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