ABSTRACT
In a report on the educational statistics of the United States for 1850, Henry Barnard claimed there existed more than 6,100 incorporated academies, with enrollments nine times greater than those of the colleges. 1 Contemporary supporters portrayed academies as exemplifying the era's commitment to enlightenment and learning, whereas opponents argued that they were harmful to the public interest. Today, historians generally agree that during the nineteenth century, academies provided the first form of higher education for American women. However, there is less agreement among scholars about the origins of these institutions, their structure, curriculum, or general historical significance apart from the field of women's education. 2
