History of Education in Williamsburg, Brooklyn New York - Essay Sample

Introduction

Williamsburg is a small neighborhood in New York with a population of approximately 33 000 inhabitants (New York City Department, 2012). A vibrant nightlife and hipster culture characterize the neighborhood. One of the most important attributes of Williamsburg is education. The neighborhood boasts of having a high ratio of college graduates compared to the rest of New York. It has a good number of schools that are both charter and non-charter. It also has two public libraries that have enough space to cater for the population. However, like the rest of New York, the history of education in Williamsburg is mired with strikes, racial discrimination, and political bias.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The history of education in New York goes as far back as the 17th century, during the colonial era. The key to the history of education in the whole of New York lies in the development between public and private school system (McCarthy, 2014). The Dutch West India Company had chartered Boswijck Town that included the modern day Williamsburg. The town only got its name from a developer called Jonathan Williams who decided to name the city after himself.

Williamsburg, as part of the New Netherland, its education system was dictated by the principles of the Dutch Reformed Church. The schools in the region were required to comply with the Director-General request to teach the youth of all races about the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Teachers had more than a teaching role; they were psalmsetter, bell ringer, and even the comforter of the sick (McCarthy, 2014).

In 1664, the authority over Williamsburg and the rest of New York changed from the Netherlands to the British ("History of Williamsburg Brooklyn," 2019). However, on both occasions, the city did not have a public school system. The mantle of education was under the domain of the church. The Dutch Reformed church continued to manage and operate the schools even after the British takeover.

Williamsburg would not see a public school until the 18th century, when Lord Cornbury introduced the public school system (McCarthy, 2014). According to McCarthy (2014), an act was passed in 1732 for the establishment of the public school system in New York. The operation continued until the post-colonial era when African Free Schools were established in the early 19th century. The wave of African Free Schools had begun in 1827, after the abolishment of slavery in New York. By the middle of the century, the number of schools had grown to seven; including a girl's school and a boy's school in Williamsburg. A library was also established during the same time. In the middle part of the century, the African Free Schools were incorporated into the city's public school system.

In 1855, Williamsburg was annexed into Brooklyn, hence become the city's Eastern District. In the years leading to the consolidation of Williamsburg into New York's five boroughs, the education system in the neighborhood had operated under the Ward system. The school system in Williamsburgh, like the rest of New York, was controlled by a board of trustees in the ward. There was little difference between the board of trustees and the central board of education. During the end of the 19th century, Williamsburg became part of New York City.

By the mid-20th century, Williamsburg was established as one of New York's boroughs and benefitting from the established education systems in the region. The neighborhood's last colored segregated schools had long been closed. There was also an already established teacher's league. Furthermore, the city's public school spending had skyrocketed to 250 million after WWII to a staggering 1.1 billion dollars (McCarthy, 2014). Williamsburg's public schools were among the beneficiaries of that enormous spending.

Teacher's strike in the 1960s due to issues of racial discrimination spilled over to Williamsburg education system as African American teachers, and Jewish intellectuals accused their counterparts of discrimination. Williamsburg education was also changed by the decentralization initiatives of the government that led to the establishment of the community school board. The community school boards have authority over the local schools in the Williamsburg neighborhood. They maintain control through their representatives.

History of New York intertwines the history of education in Williamsburg. It is impossible to separate the history of education in Williamsburg from that of New York because the issues always found their way to Williamsburg. Based on the historical assessment of learning in Williamsburg, I have identified a few themes that are learning points. One of the topics is the issue of racial discrimination. The pioneers of the education in Williamsburg had intended for it to be available for everyone, regardless of their ethnic background. It doesn't necessarily mean that they were not racist. However, it shows that they believed that the power and importance of knowledge transverse all racial differences. I also learned that the lack of slavery does not necessarily represent a lack of racism. Despite slavery having been abolished in New York a century earlier, racism was still a plague in the education system in Williamsburg, which caused the teachers to strike in the mid-20th century. Despite the earlier shortcomings, Williamsburg education system remains among the best in New York.

References

History of Williamsburg Brooklyn. (2019). Retrieved June 24, 2019, from https://www.likealocaltours.com/williamsburg-brooklyn-history

McCarthy, A. (2019, February 08). Class Act: Researching New York City Schools with Local History Collections. Retrieved June 24, 2019, from https://www.nypl.org/blog/2014/10/20/researching-nyc-schools

New York City Department of City Planning. (2012, February). Table PL-P5 NTA: Total Population and Persons Per Acre New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010. Retrieved June 24, 2019, from http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/data-maps/nyc-population/census2010/t_pl_p5_nta.pdf

McCarthy, A. (2014, October 20). Class Act: Researching New York City Schools with Local History Collections. Retrieved June 24, 2019, from https://www.nypl.org/blog/2014/10/20/researching-nyc-schools