The New England Primer

In the 17th century, the schoolbooks in use had been Bibles brought over from England. In 1686, the printer Benjamin Harris moved to Boston in order to escape the brief Catholic ascendancy under James II. Harris was the first publisher of the Primer, working between 1687 and 1690. His version was based largely upon The Protestant Tutor, which he had previously published in England, The selections for subsequent editions of the Primer varied somewhat over time. The 90-page work contained religious maxims, woodcuts, alphabetical assistants, acronyms, catechism answers, and moral lessons. It remained in print well into the 19th century and was even used until the 20th century. While widely popular with colonial schools, it was supplanted by Noah Webster's Blue Back Speller after 1790.

The theology of the Primer was a simplified version of Calvinism, intended mostly to inspire students to submit to the authority of God and their parents. The intended audience of Puritans was preoccupied with the topic of childhood depravity and was seeking solutions.

History

The New England Primer was first published between 1687 and 1690 by printer Benjamin Harris, who had come to Boston in 1686 to escape the brief Catholic ascendancy under James II. It was based largely upon The Protestant Tutor, which he had published in England, and was the first reading primer designed for the American Colonies.

The selections in the New England Primer varied somewhat over time, although there was standard content for beginning reading instruction. Included were the alphabet, vowels, consonants, double letters, and syllabaries of two letters to six letter syllables. The 90-page work contained religious maxims, woodcuts, alphabetical assistants, acronyms, catechism answers, and moral lessons. The primer remained in print well into the 19th century and was even used until the 20th century. A reported 2 million copies were sold in the 18th century. No copies of editions before 1727 are known to survive; earlier editions are known only from publishers' and booksellers' advertisements.