Lesson 6-The Institute for Colored Youth (ICY)
π« Lesson 6 β The Institute for Colored Youth
This lesson highlights the pivotal role Black communities played in defending and shaping public education in Philadelphia. Students begin with the 1824 campaign to save public schools, then trace the founding and development of the Institute for Colored Youth (ICY)βan institution that combined academic rigor with civic purpose. Through biographies, archival materials, and primary documents, students uncover the stories of graduates and professors who carried their education into public life. The lesson ends with student writing projects that reflect on the legacy of ICY and its relevance for education today.
π― Lesson Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Describe how Black Philadelphians organized to protect public schools in the early 1800s.
Trace the founding, mission, and evolution of the Institute for Colored Youth.
Analyze archival documents to uncover the lives and contributions of ICY graduates and faculty.
Evaluate the role of education as both a right and a tool for civic leadership.
Develop written reflections that connect historical educational struggles to current issues in public schooling.
SOURCES
This unit is grateful to the work of Dr. Charlene Conyers and Dr. Judith Giesberg.
Conyers, C. F. (1960). A history of the Cheyney State Teachers College, 1837-1951.
βA Great Thing for Our People: The Institute for Colored Youth in the Civil War Era.β 2015. Falvey Library Exhibits. 2015 https://exhibits.library.villanova.edu/institute-colored-youth