Sunday school
Sunday school refers to religious education classes typically held on Sundays, primarily organized by various church denominations. Originating in the late 18th century, Sunday schools initially aimed to provide basic literacy and social skills to impoverished children who lacked access to formal education. The first Sunday school was established in Gloucester, England, by Robert Raikes, who sought to offer working children an opportunity to learn to read and write while also exposing them to religious teachings. Over time, these schools gained popularity, with many children from diverse social classes attending them.
As compulsory education became more widespread in the late 19th century, the focus of Sunday school shifted primarily to religious instruction and moral development, employing methods such as memorization of scripture and catechism. Activities often included parades, plays, and outings, which were significant social events for many children. However, as societal attitudes toward religion evolved, participation in Sunday school began to decline, especially from the 1960s onward. Today, Sunday schools still exist but have adapted to contemporary practices, often incorporating multimedia and interactive learning experiences for both children and adults.
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Sunday school
Sunday school refers to religious education classes held on Sundays that are sponsored by churches of various denominations. In contemporary times, the classes teach children, and sometimes adults, about the Bible, their faith, and other topics related to religious beliefs. However, when Sunday school began in the late eighteenth century, its goal was to teach poor children basic literary and social skills and to allow them to enjoy outings and other experiences they would not otherwise have had.
Background
State-funded education was not yet the norm in England, the United States, and other countries in the late eighteenth century during the Industrial Revolution. Children were not yet required to attend school; in fact, many were instead required to work on farms, in family businesses, or in factories or the mines. Even for children, the work day was often in excess of twelve hours and the work week was Monday through Saturday. This left little time for children to attend school, even if their parents could afford to send them—and not everyone favored educating poor children. Some thought that giving the poor tools such as the ability to read and write might cause them to be discontented with their place in life and possibly lead to rebellion or social upheaval.
Some did not share this view, however. The idea of Sunday school began around 1780 in Gloucester, England. English Evangelical Anglican Robert Raikes (1725–1811), a Gloucester journalist, began a campaign to sponsor schools for working children who had no other opportunity to learn to read and write. He planned to organize and run free schools from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
The first such school opened in Gloucester a short time later. Working poor parents especially were quick to enroll their children in these schools even if the family had no particular interest in religion or membership in a church. For these parents, the schools often represented the only opportunity their children had to become educated and possibly lead a better life. Parents of middle-class families often sent their children as well. Sunday schools grew in popularity; by the middle of the nineteenth century, the vast majority of children in nearly every social class were attending. A businessperson, William Fox (1736–1826), read about Raikes' idea and started his own Sunday school movement in 1785. Within a few years of this, more than a quarter of a million children in England were attending Sunday school.
However, even after the schools opened, opposition to the idea of educating the lower classes continued. At twenty-four years old, British politician William Pitt (1759–1806) became England's youngest prime minister in 1783. Pitt considered the schools dangerous because a person who could read could learn about individual rights. The opposition was so strong that Hannah More (1745–1833), a British writer, teacher, and philanthropist who supported Raikes' Sunday School Society, had a nervous breakdown because of public pressure to stop the schools.
The schools remained open, however, and continued to be popular and well-attended even after laws were passed in the 1870s in England and the United States making education free and mandatory. Because children were learning academic subjects in school during the week, Sunday school transitioned to shorter classes focused on religion and morals. Parents continued to send their children to Sunday school until around the 1960s, when general changes in attitudes toward religion also changed how people viewed Sunday school. Before this change, however, Sunday schools had a profound effect on lives in England, the United States, and several other countries by boosting literacy, developing social and moral values, and encouraging leadership in each country's youth.
Overview
The first Sunday school in Gloucester was run from a home with the Bible as the only textbook. Reading and copying verses were two of the main techniques used to teach children. This continued to be the practice at most Sunday schools as the concept spread. Children also memorized catechism, or basic beliefs and rules of the faith, and spent time learning religious practices such as prayers and hymns.
In most cases, however, the schools were not all work for the children. At many schools, children participated in parades, pageants, and plays, often centered around religious holidays. Picnics for the children and their families were usually an annual event, and many schools also hosted an annual one-day outing to a beach, a park, or other recreational site. For many children, this was the only vacation outing they ever had.
The schools also sponsored athletic leagues and sporting events as a way of building healthy bodies. This was especially prevalent in England, where many of the soccer and cricket teams that exist today can trace their beginnings to Sunday school teams from the 1800s. Leadership skills were learned on the sports fields and also in the classrooms, as female students in particular found the opportunity to rise above their usual limited roles in society to become teachers.
Once compulsory education was in effect, Sunday schools became smaller in scope. Eventually, as society changed to put less emphasis on participation in all facets of religion, the schools began to dwindle in size. By the middle of the twentieth century, many families considered Sunday school to be an optional activity.
Sunday schools still exist in the twenty-first century, though they are radically different from the past. Classes may now be held for children during part of the traditional church service or for an hour or so before or after a main church service. Another change in some denominations is the application of the label "Sunday school" to classes held for both children and adults. Sunday school classes rarely rely on the Bible alone for instruction as they once did. Instead, classes may include watching videos, play-acting with toys and props, and making crafts—all aimed at helping students absorb knowledge about their religion.
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