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 < back to authors list Almira Hart Lincoln Phelps:
As she explored the learning materials of the time, Hart noticed that textbooks for males were different from those for females. Deciding this was unfair, she spent a large part of her life challenging the traditional attitude that it was unimportant for women to be educated. Hart felt that educational opportunities should be equal for both sexes. Hart began teaching early. She first taught in her family's home and then, at age 16, a Hartford, Connecticut, school. She next taught briefly in both Berlin and New Britain, Connecticut, then for a year at Berlin Academy in Middlebury, Vermont, where she had once studied. In 1812 she attended Female Academy of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where she learned Latin, Greek, French and Spanish. During this time Hart expanded her knowledge of what seemed to be her favorite subjects, the sciences -- including botany, chemistry and geology -- and mathematics. She moved to the other side of the desk when she became the principal of an academy at Sandy Hill, New York, in 1816. Hart and Simeon Lincoln, editor of the Connecticut Mirror, were married in 1817 and had three children. When Lincoln died in 1823, Hart, then Hart-Lincoln, began educational work with her sister Emma. Emma founded Troy Female Seminary in an era when there was no such thing as a college for women. At the time, people believed that the only things women needed to know about were cooking, cleaning, children and compliance. The sisters' primary goal with Troy was to improve women's education and offer teaching opportunities to women. Hart Lincoln taught and served as principal at Troy for eight years. During that time she began writing textbooks, including her most popular text, Familiar Lectures on Botany in 1829, Dictionary of Chemistry in 1830, and Botany for Beginners in 1833. Her textbooks were considered very modern because they contained detailed instruction for scientific experiments, many drawings and precise explanations. Hart Lincoln described the laboratory and experiment segments as "hands-on learning" and felt that they were important part of a thorough education. Her students were required to do experiments and present speeches in class because she felt doing so led to a better understanding of the material being taught, and of course, a better education. Hart Lincoln was most interested in what her sister called the questions of the day; primarily the education and social positions of women. In 1831, Hart Lincoln and Judge John Phelps of Vermont were married. He encouraged her authoring and teaching. She bore two more children, a son and a daughter, before Phelps died in 1849. Hart, now Hart Lincoln Phelps, returned to teaching in 1838 and became principal of the West Chester, Pennsylvania Young Ladies Seminary. Because of her opposition to religious instruction, that position didn't last long, and she left a year later to accept a position as the head of the Female Institute of Rahway, New Jersey. In 1841, Phelps became principal of Patapsco Female Institute, a private establishment in Ellicotts Mills, Maryland, where she taught until 1856. In her 15 years at Patapsco, Phelps taught more than 1,000 students. She maintained an institution of high academic standards with a curriculum rich in the sciences she was so fond of, along with mathematics and natural history. She also began to convey the importance of physical education. The polite attainments that passed for education in most girls' schools of the time were not entirely overlooked but were considered to be of secondary importance. Phelps contributions played a significant role in the change in mindset about the conventional roles of women. Both Troy and Patapsco became well known for their reputations of excellence in women's education, particularly in the training of highly qualified teachers. In 1856 Phelps retired and settled in Baltimore. In her remaining years she wrote frequently for national periodicals. Her other books include a novel, Ida Norman published in 1848, Christian Households in 1858, and Hours With My Pupils in 1859. Also in 1859 she became the second woman ever to be elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science. When she was 80, Phelps wrote her last two books, Fruits of Autumn and Preserved in the Winter of Life, both published in 1873. Phelps spent her time occasionally writing and speaking publicly until her death in July of 1884. — reported by Dawn DiNicola, 2000 |
