Bethlehem Female Seminary

The Bethlehem Female Seminary was established in 1742 in Germantown, Pennsylvania and was the first Protestant boarding school for girls in what became the United States. The Bethlehem Female Seminary later became known as the Moravian Female Seminary, and in 1863 the Seminary was established as Moravian College.

The institution can trace its roots back to its founder Countess Benigna Zinzendorf who established the Seminary in 1742. It moved to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1745. The Seminary began as an elementary educational institution for young girls starting at ages five or six years old. In 1785, due to increasing demand, the Bethlehem Female Seminary reorganized as a secondary educational institution that became known as the Moravian Female Seminary. The newly reorganized female seminary also became open to all denominations.

The Moravian Church is one of the oldest denomination of Protestantism. During the eighteenth century, Moravian missionaries settled in the United States. The Bethlehem Female Seminary was founded under the Moravian Church and focused on the teachings of their faith as well as cultivating the mind. Moravian educators believed in equality of the sexes and were dedicated to the cause of education, especially for women. The beliefs and morals of the Moravian Church led to its reputation as a prestigious parochial school in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century America.

The Bethlehem Female Seminary encouraged a wide range of useful training for girls. Since its establishment in the eighteenth century, the Seminary maintained the belief that "when you educate a woman, you educate an entire family." This modern attitude toward women’s education was reflected in their curriculum that was based on liberal and household teachings.

The early curriculum at Bethlehem Female Seminary included subjects such as reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar, geography, history, astronomy, music, German, and English. The Seminary also focused on teaching household duties such as sewing and needlework. When the Bethlehem Female Seminary became the Moravian Female Seminary in 1785 it restructured its curriculum into five categories.These subject areas were: spiritual and moral guidance, intellectual and cultural pursuits, vocational training, social cultivation, and physical exercise.

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