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Education Highlights Index 1820 - 1870
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Institution Building for the Soul FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH John Van Cleve, 1997: JOHN VAN CLEVE: ASD--the American School for the Deaf-- in Connecticut, the first permanent school for deaf people in the United States, was in fact in large part successful because the federal government granted ASD a huge amount of federal land in Alabama, that ASD then subsequently sold, and used as an endowment to support the institution. And if you'll notice the name of the school, it originally was called "Connecticut Asylum." It was changed to call it the "American Asylum," and later the "American School," to try to emphasize that it was a national institution. And the reason they changed that name is because they went to the federal government, and asked for support. The question of money is a constant issue, it's a constant struggle. Much of the money was raised privately, at least initially, when the school was first founded, and a lot of it was raised by Gallaudet himself, often with Laurent Clerc, who was a deaf teacher, whom Gallaudet brought to the United States from France. Clerc and Gallaudet would travel around New England and the Middle Atlantic states, and they would give speeches, primarily in churches, to upperclass, Protestants of course, who could be appealed to, and a speech pretty much followed a standard format. Basically Gallaudet would say that there were deaf children in our midst, and they were ignorant of the word of God, and because of this they were not going to be saved. And because of this, in addition to that, all of society would suffer. And then he would point out Clerc, and he would read something that Clerc had written, showing how, in fact, learned, and intelligent and well-educated Clerc was. Then they went to the federal government, and they said, "This should be a federal responsibility." The federal government gave ASD this large grant of land, that then became several hundred thousand dollars when it was sold. It was the only time the federal government ever did that. They realized this was a mistake. They were not going to get involved, at that time, in the process of giving grants to what in fact were state, or local, institutions for special education, but they did do with with ASD. What happened there, I believe, is a very particular situation. Clerc came down here, to Washington, DC, and he met with members of Congress, and was able to converse with them in writing, and some of them, of course, knew French, so they conversed in writing in both French and English, and the congresspeople who met Clerc were absolutely stunned. They had never conceived: (a) that they would see an educated deaf person; (b) they would see somebody who was deaf and so well-educated that he could easily converse in writing in either English or French, and go back and forth. And, in addition to that, he didn't speak. So, he seemed to belie the stereotype of the non-speaking deaf person as being completely ignorant. They were absolutely astounded, and I think it was in large part the influence of Clerc's personal appearance, that caused them--Congress--to say, "Well, let's go ahead, and give money to this one institution," even though later on, that, when other institutions asked, the New York, and so on, asked for federal aid, they were denied. |
Thomas Gallaudet and the church
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