Charles Morton (educator) facts for kids

Charles Morton (born 1627, died 1698) was an important English teacher and minister. He was from Cornwall, a county in England. He was known as a "nonconformist" because he didn't agree with all the rules of the official Church of England. Morton started a special school called a "dissenting academy." This was a place where students could learn outside the traditional universities. Later in his life, he moved to America and became involved with Harvard College.

Morton grew up with strong Puritan beliefs in England. He studied at Oxford University. Because of big changes happening in England, he faced problems. He was even arrested for teaching new ideas. One of his famous students was Daniel Defoe, who wrote Robinson Crusoe. These troubles led him to move to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America in 1685. Even there, he faced legal issues in Boston, but he was found innocent.

At Harvard, Morton taught a mix of old and new ideas. He combined traditional thinking with the fresh discoveries of scientists like John Wallis, Robert Hooke, Robert Boyle, and René Descartes. He also wrote about topics like astrology and alchemy. As a minister, he was interested in witchcraft. His book, Compendium Physicae, was a mix of science and older ideas. It mentioned new discoveries by Galileo and Evangelista Torricelli and talked about gravity. However, his older way of thinking was soon replaced by Newtonian mechanics when Isaac Newton's famous book, Principia, came out in 1687.

Life Story

Early Years in England

Charles Morton was born in a place called Pendavy, in Cornwall, England. He was baptized on February 15, 1627. He was the oldest son of Nicholas Morton and Frances Kestell. He likely studied at New Inn Hall, Oxford in 1648. On September 7, 1649, he became a scholar at Wadham College. He earned his first degree (B.A.) in 1649 and his master's degree (M.A.) in 1652. He was also recognized at Cambridge University in 1653. At Oxford, he was known for being good at math and was highly respected by John Wilkins.

In 1655, Morton became the minister of a church in Blisland, Cornwall. However, he lost his position after the 1662 Act of Uniformity was passed. This law made it difficult for ministers who didn't follow the Church of England's rules. After this, he moved to his own small home in St Ive. He also lost property in the Great Fire of London. He then went to London to find work. Around 1672, he was allowed to hold religious services in his home in Kennington.

Running a Dissenting Academy

A few years later, Morton started a leading school for Dissenters in Newington Green, a village north of London. This school was probably where the current Unitarian church stands today. Experts say Morton's school was "probably the most impressive" of its kind before 1685. It had as many as fifty students at a time.

The school offered a wide range of subjects. Students learned about religion, classic literature, history, geography, math, natural science, politics, and modern languages. It even had a well-equipped laboratory and a bowling green for fun! Lectures were given in English, not Latin. Daniel Defoe, one of Morton's students, praised the school for focusing on the English language. Many future dissenting ministers, like John Shower and Samuel Lawrence, were taught by Morton.

These schools were not always popular and sometimes operated outside the law. Samuel Wesley the elder, another writer from that time, called Morton "universal in his learning." However, in 1703, Wesley criticized these dissenting schools. This led to a public debate through pamphlets. The schools were defended by Rev. Samuel Palmer, and the arguments went back and forth for several years.

Move to America and Later Life

Because of legal challenges from the church, Morton decided to move to America. He arrived in New England in July 1686 with his wife, his student Samuel Penhallow, and his nephew. Another nephew had already moved there in 1685.

There was talk that Morton might become the leader of Harvard College. However, someone else was chosen before he arrived. Still, he became a member of the college's governing body and its first vice-president. He created a system of logic and a physics textbook that were used at Harvard for many years. He also gave philosophy lectures in his own home, which many Harvard students attended.

Morton also became the minister of the first church in Charlestown, New England, on November 5, 1686. He was the first minister in that town to perform marriages. He faced legal trouble for things he said in a sermon in 1687, but he was found innocent. Morton also supported efforts to spread Christianity among the Native Americans. He was involved in the events around the witchcraft trials at Salem, Massachusetts.

Around 1694, Morton's health began to decline. He passed away in Charlestown on April 11, 1698. He was buried on April 14, with Harvard College officials and students attending his funeral. In his will, he left money to Harvard. His homes and land in Charlestown and Cornwall went to his two nephews and niece.

Important Works

Compendium Physicae

Charles Morton wrote Compendium Physicae (published in 1687), which was an early American textbook about astronomy and physics. This book was also known as [A] System of Physicks. It was one of the most important books for teaching science and the scientific method in early America. Students at both Harvard and Yale used it from the late 1680s to the late 1720s.

Morton likely finished Compendium Physicae before he moved to America, around 1680. Most of the original copies that still exist are found at Harvard or Yale. A modern version of Compendium Physicae was published in 1940.

Other Writings

Morton also wrote a later paper that suggested birds might migrate to the moon. This was the earliest writing about bird migration in England.

Another important work by Morton was A Logick System. This book was later transcribed and published in 1995.

John Dunton, a writer from that time, praised Morton in his book Life and Errors. Morton also published many smaller books on social and religious topics. One of his papers, about improving Cornwall's land with sea sand, was published in the Philosophical Transactions. Another paper, an "Enquiry into the Physical and Literal Sense of Jeremiah viii. 7," was reprinted in the Harleian Miscellany.