In 1916, the National Institution for Moral Instruction had a contest to see who could come up with the best morality code. For kids. Evolving views on childhood, child labor laws, patriotism, and eugenics influenced this effort.

Research:

“$5000 Prize Winners Announced Oct. 1” Dean Bennion in Race.” Daily Utah Chronicle. April 23, 1917. https://www.newspapers.com/image/289878324/?match=1&terms=%22Morality%20Code%22%20winner
“93 Virtues Make the Perfect Man.” Tulsa World. Dec. 22, 1919. https://www.newspapers.com/image/884436330/?match=1&terms=Iowa%20%22character%20education%22%20
Brimi, Hunter. “Academic Instructors or Moral Guides? Moral Education in America and the Teacher’s Dilemma.” The Clearing House, vol. 82, no. 3, 2009, pp. 125–30. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/30181093
Character Education Inquiry. “Studies in the nature of Character.” New York. Macmillan. 1928. https://archive.org/details/studiesinnatureo0001char/page/n7/mode/2up
“Character Education Methos Research.” Atlanta Constitution. Sept. 30, 1917. https://www.newspapers.com/image/26907400/?match=1&terms=%22Morality%20Code%20Competition%22
“The Children’s Morality Code.” Virginia Teacher. March 1924. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2194&context=va-teacher
“College Professors and Others in All States Take Part in Contest to Decide Best Method of Character Building in the Growing Generation.” Washington Post. March 4, 1917. https://www.newspapers.com/image/28849374/?match=1&terms=%22Morality%20Code%20Competition%22
Davis, Emily C. “Why Children Lie.” Springfield Daily Republican. May 20, 1928. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1062989775/?match=1&terms=%22Character%20Education%20Inquiry%22
“Dean Competes in $5000 Contest.” Daily Utah Chronicle. Nov. 23, 1916. https://www.newspapers.com/image/289875150/?match=1&terms=%22National%20Morality%20Codes%20Competition%22
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BUREAU OF EDUCATION. “Character Education.” REPORT OF THECOMMITTEE ON CHARACTER EDUCATION OFTHE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION. Washington Government Printing Office. 1926. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED541955.pdf
“Educational Body Offers Big Prize.” New Britain herald. April 4, 1922. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014519/1922-04-04/ed-1/seq-12/
“Efficiency Methods Applied to Task of Codifying Ethics.” Times Herald. Jan. 27, 1917. https://www.newspapers.com/image/79883841/?match=1&terms=%22Morality%20Code%20Competition%22
“Educating Body Offers Big Prize.” New Britain Herald. April 04, 1922. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014519/1922-04-04/ed-1/seq-12/
Fairchild, Stephen G. “Character education in the United States.” University of Georgia, PhD Dissertation. Mary Frances Early College of Education. 2006. https://esploro.libs.uga.edu/esploro/outputs/doctoral/Character-education-in-the-United-States/9949334479002959
Hartshorne, H., & May, M. A. (1930). A Summary of the Work of the Character Education Inquiry. Religious Education, 25(7), 607–619. https://doi.org/10.1080/0034408300250702
Hutchins, William J. “The 5,000 Prize Code of Morals for Children.” The Mahoning Dispatch. September 13, 1918. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84028473/1918-09-13/ed-1/seq-4/
Jackson, Allison. “THE CHARACTER EDUCATION WORK OF MILTON FAIRCHILD: A PRISM FOR EXPLORING THE DEBATE BETWEEN LIBERAL PROGRESSIVES AND CONSERVATIVE PROGRESSIVES IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY.” Notre Dame of Maryland University. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/character-education-work-milton-fairchild-prism/docview/2125417636/se-2
“Keating-Owen Child Labor Act (1916).” National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/keating-owen-child-labor-act
“New Statement of Old Principles.” Democrat and Chronicle. April 4, 1916. https://www.newspapers.com/image/135312787/?match=1&terms=%22Morality%20Code%20Competition%22
“The plans of the Interstate Character Education Method … “ Kansas Teacher. April 1, 1918. https://www.newspapers.com/image/390015780/?match=1&terms=%22Character%20education%20methods%22
“VERIFIED AND REVISED CHILDREN’S MORALITY CODE.” The Journal of Education, vol. 100, no. 5 (2491), 1924, pp. 130–32. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/42750282
“What a Child Should Do in a Moral Emergency.” Richmond Times-Dispatch. May 21, 1916. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045389/1916-05-21/ed-1/seq-49/
Yarrow, Andrew L. “History of U.S. Children’s Policy, 1900-Present.” First Focus. April 2009. https://firstfocus.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Childrens-Policy-History.pdf

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Children’s Morality Code of 1916

Stuff You Missed in History Class