This paper was written Spring Semester, 1999, under Michael Gagnon, in the History Department, at the University of Georgia, as a requirement for completion of History 4000, "Social History of Antebellum America." The views expressed in this paper are strictly the author's own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the instructor, the department, nor the university.

An Education for the Athens Woman, 1801-1860

R. Brooke Romanowski

Athens, Georgia has been a focal point of learning since its charter in 1785. Centered around the University of Georgia, Athens succeeded past the expectations of the university in the nineteenth century to produce not only higher learning for men, but also for women. A British traveler, James Silk Buckingham, wrote of an Athens party in 1839:

"the ladies, though so young, appeared to have more resources for conversation, and more power, as well as ease or freedom of expression."1

The women of Antebellum Athens differed from others Buckingham had met in his travels because they were educated and more liberated than in other cities during this pre-war era. Yet, why were these females so advanced at this stage in history? Many reasons determine this result. These women grew up in a cultured city and therefore, lived with higher expectations of scholarship. Athens, Georgia evolved into a city that educated everyone because it was associated with the University of Georgia. Education was an important part of its existence that shaped the city into a refined, scholastic oasis in the South.

The University of Georgia helped Athens to educate the women who were so greatly influenced by it. When the college was chartered in 1785, few families lived in the agricultural area of Mideast Georgia. As Athens grew in popularity, more people moved to Athens to concentrate on the school. The families became so closely connected with the college that they began to plan for their children's future at the university and encouraged the building of prepatory schools and academies.2 Most notably, females were taught at these new grammar schools, a rare act that did not occur in most small, southern towns in antebellum times. Due to the advanced opening of schools and academies to those girls who could afford them, the education system for females in Athens had a head start over other southern cities in the United States. Though the rest of the state of Georgia had trouble building a solid school system in the 1830's, Athens used the establishment of the University's community to populate its many private schools.3 The parents who began to send their young girls to academies at this time readily saw an improvement in the quality of schooling as the 1830's, 1840's, and especially the 1850's passed. Nevertheless, they knew the importance of educating their daughters, especially because the rest of their society was so adamant about education. It was "the academic atmosphere created by the University [that] encouraged the growth of other academies or schools" for girls, giving them the opportunity to nourish their minds as modern women.4

The increase of grammar schools and academies in Athens led to an increase in the city's population, because families sought to move into a solid town where schooling for their daughters would be available. These schools were private institutions provided only for the well-to-do, white families who could afford it. Public schooling, originating in Athens with the Manual Labor School to benefit poor white families whose children would accept charity.5 Though the University of Georgia catered only to boys fourteen or older, the newly opened female academies would teach girls from grammar school through their teens. Athens became an appealing area to settle in because "the University gave it a tone of intellectuality and culture . . . its natural advantages . . . [and] its facilities for educating children all made it an attractive home."6 Now, young men could attend the University while their sisters would be educated at a premier academy. A separation began to pull Athens away from other Southern towns that revolved around farming and agriculture. Aristocracy was challenged by these differences in the "Classic City." In the early 1840's, schoolmistresses such as Miss Emily Witherspoon opened their own schools for both boys and girls. By this time, "persons of affluence moved [to Athens] to . . . educate their female children," drawing more attention to the need for women's education.7 These grammar schools for girls began to attract families to Athens who wanted the best education for their children.

Families also moved to Athens to seek a future for their daughter in a town full of ambitious university students. Here, the men of marrying age were soon to graduate and proceed to become prominent political figures and merchants of the town. Already, it was said that The University of Georgia "was attended only by the sons of the rich," so a father would be assured that his daughter could continue on in high society and be financially secure for life.8 Yet, the only way a girl could meet these young men was if she attended one of the famous Athens academies, such as Lucy Cobb Institute or the Athens Female Academy. Many girls' schools offered opportunities for social gatherings and picnics as a way of meeting these men.9

This

"marked an epoch in the lives of [The University of Georgia] students . . . [who] came in contact with the prominent families, the Cobbs, the Lumpkins, the Dougherty's and the Claytons; but what was more pleasant and thrilling, at the same time they had rare and romantic associations with the daughters of these families, and many of them succumbed for life."10

On campus, the views of the university students were debated concerning the advantages and disadvantages of dating Athens girls. Some men believed that she made for a more interesting companion while others saw only complications with knowing an intellectually diverse woman. The Demosthenian and Phi Kappa societies of the University of Georgia asked the questions "'Does refined female society exert a beneficial influence on male students?'" and "'Should students in college visit the Young ladies [of Athens]?'"11 Both groups favored the interaction with Athens women, especially the educated ones.12 As scholars themselves, many could not marry a woman who was so concerned with fashion and town gossip. They desired a girl who inspired debate and knowledge as well.13

Schooling in Athens was taken seriously because it was considered a patriotic movement to study locally rather than attend boarding schools in the North.14 The prominent families of Athens' high society realized that schooling was important and strove to uncover a refined school that was suitable for their daughters. In the 1840's,

"it was felt that the image of women in the Southern idyl might be fractured by the impact of northern school influence,"

therefore creating a greater interest in southern schools over their northern counterparts.15 Thus, many Athenian schools surfaced, showing, once again, how important education was to this town. The principals of the newer academies in Athens were now required to have the proper education that a principal of the north might have. Hired were women such as Madame Sosnowski and Madame Govain, Russian and European educators who brought foreign knowledge and discipline to this small city. The institutions of Athens were to be equal to the experience of northern academies, which Athens schools were slightly modeled after. Attending school in Athens was important for a southern girl because a family often worried that upon returning home from northern schooling, she would come " . . . home with minds half prejudiced against their own state."16 By staying nearby for day or boarding school, a girl's family could watch over her so she would come home with the same southern morals and not become involved with any questionable acts.17 Traditionally, "southern gentlemen hoped very much that no southern lady would think well of [being strong-minded]" which they might learn up north.18 In Athens, schoolmasters hoped to teach new subjects to girls, which was reflected in the curriculum. Not only did this education of women surpass basic schooling of the South and in other parts of the state, but the education of women in Athens slowly began to compare to that in the North.

Though it has been established that Athens was not a typical city of the antebellum South, education was a main reason these women overcame their subservient roles. Other southern cities fell behind in eliminating education discrimination. During the Antebellum period, "'slavery had a great deal to do with the ideal of the Southern Lady."19 Women were "enslaved" by their fathers, husbands, and by men in general and were very unhappy with the restraints that were placed around their lives. Not only were they held back by the expectations of a family life and a submissive marriage, but also by an uneducated mind. Women were not given the chances to learn and said they "felt deeply deprived" because of it.20 In the South, a woman was not supposed to educate herself because "the less a woman knew of life . . . the better she was supposed to deal with it."21 Those women who yearned for knowledge were cautioned to keep quiet, because they could become dangerous and radical if given the opportunity to speak out.22

Athens realized that it needed to move beyond the rest of the South in women's education because it had no need to suppress them. The Southern woman was rarely given the chance to learn, and for the most part, the South had no dire need to teach women in school; their purpose was to stay home and raise a family. In the South, education was useless to a woman. With the minor exception of "boarding schools for young ladies, to which more and more girls were sent as the century wore on, [that] emphasized correct female behavior more than intellectual development," there were no reputable organizations for women's schooling.23 Athens changed this problem in the South because its citizens approved of women's right to learn and actually encouraged it. It realized that now was a time of change "when women's sphere was broadening" to new dimensions, including the educational one.24 Parents wanted to see their daughters grow up intelligent and learned, like their sons, a reason they might have chosen to live in Athens. The intellect of Athens women, whether it be from the university influence or the grammar school, was ahead of all others in the South during the nineteenth century. Athens was famous for its University men but did not want to deny that it also taught its women a proper education.

Though Athens women were taught in school at levels way beyond other counties in the state, but there were still some discrepancies between the solid education of elite boys and that of elite girls. When the University of Georgia first started, the charter did not even allow women to step foot on the campus ground.25 By 1803, girls could be taught French, English, and Arithmetic by Mrs. Allan.26 Still, the education between boys and girls was not equal in quality. Boys, who could attend the university, were prepared with Greek, Latin, and business classes, while girls received the basic curriculum of arithmatic and reading, along with needle work and embroidery.27 Boys were graded more strictly but were given more options of natural philosophy, chemistry, and other classes. Girls were only offered this variety of classes if they attended a co-educational school such as Athens Female Academy.29 Athens girls, instead, completed school in hopes that they might wed soon thereafter, while still receiving a full education. Parents of these girls felt the need to build schools "with such a reputation that parents who came to Athens to educate their sons could also educate their daughters."30 The past social roles of women were changing in Athens with education leading these transitions. Educators in the South were now encouraging fathers to wisely save money for their daughter's schooling rather than for their dowry.31 This was accepted because living in a college town forced residents to realize what a positive effect education has on an individual.

Athens, Georgia was a cultural phenomenon because it grew from a small university into an educational center for men and for women. James Silk Buckingham said of Athens, " there are consequently more persons of education, taste, and good manners, then is generally found in so small a community,"32 He was right in saying Athens was different. Though it was a southern city, it did not reflect the negative social roles of women. Athens was a breeding ground for cultural change and modern education. The women's schools were derived from the university but kept alive by the citizen's overwhelming response to educating women. These girls were a part of their town and university because their families depended on its influence to make social changes happen. They realized that if Athens could produce a top university, it could also produce a prominent academy for girls. These girls were not contending with the boys. Antebellum times were difficult in other cities because there was such a desire to move to the top by pushing others behind. Athen's open-mindedness and influence from the university created an educational center. It did not discriminate against those who wanted to learn. Athens accepted a smart woman because she fit in with the scholastics of the rest of the city.

For other information on Antebellum Education and Women, Visit:

Corona College--As An Example Of Antebellum Southern Education: Table of Contents

Corona College: Section I, Introduction

Corona College: Section III, Eliza Lucy Irion's Journal

Corona College: Section IV, Southern Antebellum Education

The Women of Antebellum Richmond: Domestic Values and Public Ambitions

1. James Silk Buckingham, Slave States of America (New York: Negro Universities Press, 1968) Vol. II, p. 92.

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2. Ernest C. Hynds, Antebellum Athens and Clarke County (Athens, Ga.: University of Georgia Press, 1974), 82.