Library of Congress: “A Globe on a New Plan"

This program is presented by the Philip Lee Phillips Map Society of the Library of Congress.

Location: Thomas Jefferson Building Room LJ-119 and online

Time: 

10:00 AM ET - Coffee Hour

11:00 AM ET - Lecture & Q&A (in-person and virtual)

12:00 PM ET - Collection Display

Title: A Globe on a New Plan: Peter Parley’s Innovative Teaching of Geography to Children in 19th Century America

Speakers:  Jackie Coleburn, Library of Congress, Rare Book Cataloger, and Anthony Mullan, Library of Congress Geography and Map Division, Cartographic Specialist (retired)

Samuel Griswold Goodrich (1793-1860), believed that the instruction of American children should be fact-filled, engaging, and morally instructive. Using the pseudonym Peter Parley, he addresses his young readers as a companion more than as a tutor, telling stories and creating adventures to convey concepts of history and geography.  His Peter Parley books were immensely popular, selling in multiple editions and millions of copies.  In this presentation, the authors will discuss and illustrate his innovative methods of teaching geography to children.  They will emphasize his use of illustration and his ability to capture the imaginations of his young readers. For all of his progressive teaching methods, Goodrich introduced his readers to a world view very well rooted in the thought and biases of his day.  The authors will offer a window into the prevailing opinions and assumptions of pre-Civil War America with Goodrich’s books on geography for children.

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