United States Teachers and Argentina's Schools, 1870–81

In 1864, Domingo F. Sarmiento, one of Argentina’s most gifted intellectuals and writers, embarked on a goodwill tour of the United States. He wanted to learn more about the US educational system in the hopes of borrowing ideas for reforming schools in his country. When he became president in 1868, Sarmiento commissioned dozens of US educators, primarily from Northeastern and Midwestern states, to establish schools throughout Argentina. These zealous, reform-minded educators had a wide range of experiences. They met eager students and friendly communities willing to embrace them, but they also encountered underfunded schools, underprepared students and parents, hostility among local authorities, and political chaos and instability. Despite these struggles, by 1881, they had helped to establish thirty normal schools, which enrolled thousands of children throughout Argentina. Indeed, these efforts provided the foundation for the country’s modern school system. Utilizing previously unused personal papers of teachers and administrators from local and state archives in the United States, this paper focuses on the herculean efforts of these teachers and administrators, both men and women, who served in San Juan, Córdoba, Corrientes, and many other Argentine provinces in the chaotic decades after national consolidation. Previous studies on this topic, such as Alice Houston Luiggi’s now classic Sesenta y cinco valientes, have taken a collective biographical approach and have placed more emphasis on the demographic characteristics of these teachers. However, this paper will delve deeper into what these US educators wrote and emphasize both the values that US teachers brought with them and how they interacted with one another and their new  communities.