Did Americans always send their children to public school?

Not even close.

In this episode of American History Hotline, Bob calls up historian and author Dixie Dillon Lane to explore the surprising history of education in America. From colonial classrooms and the self-taught education of Abigail Adams to the rise of public schools, compulsory education laws, and the modern homeschooling movement, this conversation reveals how Americans have thought about learning for more than 250 years.

Why did reformers like Horace Mann champion public schools? How did immigration, industrialization, the Great Depression, and the Cold War transform education? And why are more families today choosing alternatives to traditional public schools?

Dixie's book is Skipping School: A History of American Homeschooling and How It Went Mainstream

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In 1978, Soviet geologists flying over Siberia spotted something impossible: a family living in total isolation, untouched for decades by the modern world. But when outsiders finally reached their remote cabin, the family’s hidden world began to change forever.

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Special thanks to Rebecca E. Marshall for letting us share clips from her documentary, The Forest in Me. We also want to shout out the film's composer, Xylouris White. You can stream The Forest in Me right now on Pijama Films.

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Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Dave Roos
Senior Producer is Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs
Additional Editing by Mary Dooe
Mixing and Mastering by Chris Childs
Voice Actors are Katie Mattie and Chris Childs
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English

Got a very special question? You can reach us at [email protected].

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In the series finale, Chaloner ‘counterfeits a madman’, Newton has his day in court, and Londoners look on as Chaloner meets his fate. And, Linda connects the dots between everything going on back then in law, finance and media to where we are today.

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William Chaloner claps back at Isaac Newton and finds a new scheme in Malt Lottery tickets. But to pull it off, Chaloner needs help. And the list of people who weren’t in jail, or who Chaloner hadn’t double-crossed, or who hadn’t turned witness for Newton’s case against him - is pretty short.
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With Chaloner awaiting trial in jail, Isaac Newton has time to ruminate on whether catching criminals is as meaningful as sorting the laws of the universe. There was a certain satisfaction in it, after all. Meanwhile, Chaloner conceives of plans to dismantle the case against him.

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In a time before organized police, Isaac Newton gets used to his dual role as crook catcher and prosecutor. As he locks up London’s counterfeiters one by one, Newton’s ring of informants tighten the circle around Mr. Chaloner.

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An era of unprecedented innovation sees an explosion in free speech, the creation of paper money and the ascendance of William Chaloner from two-bit criminal to man of influence. Has the silver-tongued man gone straight?

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The Great Recoinage was supposed to fix England’s currency problem. But the Mint is bungling the job, and the country is reeling. As Isaac Newton steps into his new role, he applies his scientific process to the Mint’s production line. Silver starts flowing again - but did Newton’s calculations take into account the cleverness of William Chaloner?

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England’s currency is in crisis. The issue is a “great leak” likely to sink the nation, ands Mint officials are scrambling to fix long before Newton steps foot in his new workplace. How did the nation get into this mess? And how will they strengthen the currency to protect it from counterfeiters? The answer will determine the career of both Isaac Newton and William Chaloner. 

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When Isaac Newton leaves his career as a renowned scientist to become the Warden of Royal Mint, he thinks it's going to be an easy gig. But with an economy teetering on the brink of collapse, and a entrepreneurial con man looking to win at all costs, the world's smartest man may be in over his head.

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