Borica theorized that most of California s social woes stemmed from illiteracy. He therefore decided that not only children, but also soldiers of the guard, were to be educated beginning with San Jose. Education was also a major theme at the first Constitutional Convention of California in 1849. Robert Semple from Solano County said, I regard education as a subject of particular importance here in California. We possess the resources to have a well-regulated system of education.
Education is the foundation of republican institutions.
If the people are to govern themselves, they should be qualified to do it. They must be educated and they must educate their children. California could build schools, but it was in sore need of teachers. Families arriving from the east brought many children with them and more soon arrived. Former teachers who abandoned mining for employment in the settlements were rusty and out of touch with the latest methods and advancements in the field of education.