To Draw Out the Effort of His Mind: Educating A Child with Mental Retardation in Early-Nineteenth-Century America

The education of children with retardation in early-nineteenth-century America is little understood by historians and special educators. Most often, it is assumed that little schooling was possible until the 1840s, with the rise of state-funded institutions. In addition, the perspective of students' families is rarely considered by historians of special education. This paper details the educational experiences of one child, Thomas Cameron (1806–1870), and his family, based on the Cameron family's extensive correspondence. (Thomas Cameron is believed to have had mental retardation.) He was educated in a variety of settings, including John Churchill Rudd's New Jersey school, and the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy of Alden Partridge. Both Rudd and Partridge adapted their usual methods and curricula to Cameron's needs, and attained some success. This study finds that the Southern planter class offered an encouraging environment to a child with a disability. It also points to the possibilities of a manuscript-based, biographical approach in the history of special education.