A brief historical overview of the Lancasterian System in America and Mexico

By Ricardo Antonio López­-Portillo y Lancaster-­Jones

Reproduced from an article posted at https://educationalopportunity.org.uk/bfss-in-the-americas/

Acknowledgment
I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to the Educational Opportunity Foundation https://educationalopportunity.org.uk/, successor of the British and Foreign School Society (BFSS) for inviting me to write this article and for their dedication to preserving and sharing the remarkable history of the Lancasterian System. As the present-day standard-bearer of this extraordinary legacy, the Educational Opportunity Foundation continues the mission of expanding educational opportunity and safeguarding a history that shaped learning across continents. Their commitment to this work has been a constant source of inspiration. It is an honour to contribute to this effort and to help shed light on the vision of Joseph Lancaster and the transformative impact of the BFSS throughout the Americas.

Screenshot from https://educationalopportunity.org.uk/bfss-in-the-americas/

An American beginning:

the US and Canada

In the early 19th century, a revolutionary British educational model transformed public education across the Americas: the Lancasterian System. Developed by British educator Joseph Lancaster, this peer-based teaching method addressed the urgent need for mass education and professional teacher training, especially in young, resource-limited republics.

The movement began in 1806, when the Free School Society opened the first Lancasterian school in New York City, backed by reformers like DeWitt Clinton, Governor of New York, among others. By 1815, a third school was already operating in the city, solidifying the system’s role in early United States public education. That same year, Canada joined the movement by opening its first Lancasterian school in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

First schoolhouse built by the Free School Society 1809

In 1819, Joseph Lancaster travelled to the United States to promote his model and was formally received by President James Monroe and the US Congress – an extraordinary national recognition. His system spread rapidly across states like Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, gaining strong support from influential figures such as Thomas Jefferson, New York State Governors DeWitt Clinton and William H Seward, as well as other key leaders. 

The system’s impact was further amplified by the support of philanthropists like Colonel Henry Rutgers and prominent members of the Free School Society of New York, including John Murray, Leonard Bleecker, and Henry Ten Brook. This network of reformers, educators, and philanthropists not only helped establish the Lancasterian system as a model for public education but also laid the groundwork for the creation of early public schools in the US, leaving a lasting legacy of educational reform.

During his 1824-25 Farewell Tour in the US, the Marquis de Lafayette visited several Lancasterian schools. Earlier, he had praised the system before the French legislature, declaring:

“Now, gentlemen, the Lancasterian System is, since the invention of printing, the greatest step which has been made for the extension of prompt, easy, and popular instruction.”

John Vanderlyn (American, 1775–1852), Washington and Lafayette at the Battle of Brandywine, circa 1825. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa, OK.

From New York to Boston, Philadelphia to Halifax, Lancasterian schools helped shape civic education across North America.

Mexico:

stronghold of the Lancasterian vision

By 1825, newly-independent Mexico was forging its national identity under President Guadalupe Victoria. Among his most lasting legacies was endorsing the Lancasterian System. Established in 1822, the Compañía Lancasteriana – a private, nonprofit association – championed free, secular, and teacher-centered public education.

The first president of Mexico, Guadalupe Victoria (1786-1843), established diplomatic relations with the UK. Protector of the Lancasterian Company of Mexico.

Promoted by the Lancasterian Company the first school of Mexico was founded with the name of ‘The Sun’, (El Sol) using the Lancastrian Educational System opened its doors on September 1st 1822. Was located in the building that, following the tradition in education, now occupies the current Palace School of Medicine (Old building of the Inquisition), in the ‘Plaza de Santo Domingo’, Mexico City.

The first school, El Sol, opened in a former Inquisition building. By 1845, over 100 Lancasterian schools operated in Mexico City alone. Joseph Lancaster’s daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth and Richard M Jones, arrived in Mexico in 1825, further strengthening the Compañía Lancasteriana efforts. 

The Lancasterian System left a profound and lasting impact in Mexico, it seems more so than in any other country, largely due to the dedication and high standards upheld by the Compañía Lancasteriana. Although the Company’s influence gradually waned and it dissolved in 1890, transferring its remaining schools to the Federal Government, some Lancasterian schools continued to operate in various Mexican states well into the early 20th century.

The Lancasterian legacy in Mexico continued through descendants like Alfonso Lancaster-Jones, who served as Mexico’s Ambassador to the UK, and Adolfo Lancaster-Jones, who died defending the republic during the French Intervention. Their lives embodied the values of civic service and public education.

Lancaster’s system spread across the globe, earning praise from leaders and visionaries worldwide. More than an educational method, his model was a social revolution. By empowering students to teach one another and pioneering the professional training of teachers, Lancaster democratised learning, nurtured civic virtue, and laid the foundation for many institutions we now take for granted. 

Through the efforts of organizations like the Educational Opportunity Foundation, the successor to the British and Foreign School Society (BFSS), Lancaster’s legacy has continued to transcend borders and continents. The BFSS played a crucial role in preserving and expanding Lancaster’s revolutionary educational ideas, ensuring their continued impact. 

His innovative approach transformed education globally, and the enduring influence of both the BFSS and Lancaster himself stands as a testament to the profound and lasting impact he made on the world. Today, the Educational Opportunity Foundation continues to hold the torch, carrying forward Lancaster’s vision and ensuring that his legacy in education endures for future generations.

Oil portrait of Joseph Lancaster, painted in the early 19th century by John Hazlitt, National Portrait Gallery, London.

King George III (1738 - 1820) offered His patronage to Joseph Lancaster and his educational project, joining His Majesty were members of the Royal Family and nobility as well as prominent citizens.