Annual Report of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction for Tennessee for the Scholastic Year Ending June 30, 1892. Submitted to the Governor

Nashville, TN: Marshall & Bruce, Printers to the State, 1893. First Edition. Hardcover. Fair. 5 1/2 X 8 1/2 Inches. 286 PP. First printing of this early 1892 report on the the conditions of the school system in the state of Tennessee. A bit of history... The state legislature did not pass a statute providing for the establishment of secondary schools until 1885. This statute empowered "municipal corporations to levy additional taxes and to establish graded high schools." This really only benefited those living in large cities. Then, in 1891, the general assembly granted each county the option of establishing secondary school facilities. Not until 1899 did Tennessee law actually require the establishment of facilities for secondary education in each county. At the same time, there were essentially two systems in play, one for whites and one for blacks. The result was that not until about 1914 when the Rosenwald Fund money began to hit the state did public education actually become a reality for most Tennessee children.<br /> <br /> This very early report from the year 1892 begins with a list of questions and answers from the Superintendent to the responding counties. These questions included those on attendance (which was very poor), instructional matters (which subjects should be taught), the existence of a public library in the county (of which only 11 counties reported having a small library of some sort) and so on. The report delves into the questions of including subjects such as drawing, and goes on to express the difficulties with instituting secondary schools in each county. Through all of this, counts of students are divided according to race of course. The first table in the appendix lists the applicable white students in the state at 524,708 and black at 175,954. A very early report from a school system indicative of others in the South at the time that is simply trying to establish itself and determine the best actions to take in creating a standardized educational platform that can grow with the state and with the time. <br /> <br /> This copy from the collection of Fisk University library. Black library binding with usual marks. Pages are a bit tender and a few primitive repairs made to the corners of a few pages over the years.