Our Star Spangled Story, Lesson 24

​Alice Cogswell & Thomas Gallaudet

Alice Cogswell and Thomas Gallaudet, a minister, had their paths crossed which led to deaf people being able to be understood and taught. The pair worked with a hat and stick in the first to begin their communication. Alice has connected the letters H-A-T to an actual hat.

Gallaudet Meets Clerc & Monroe

Gallaudet had learned sign language from European books. Alice continued to learn as he taught her more and more signs. Gallaudet met with wealthy men to share that deaf people were able to learn and communicate. He wanted to teach them about Jesus. He traveled to Europe where he met deaf Frenchmen Laurent Clerc. The two helped establish the first school for the deaf in 1817. President James Monroe visited the school in 1818 and praised the work of the school.

Gallaudet married and had many children. He resigned from the school and resumed life as a minister.

Multiple Choice

Where did the roots of American Sign Language originate?

• England

• France

• Martha's Vineyard

• Hartford

Multiple Choice

When was the first American school for the Deaf established?

• 17th century

• 1800s

• 1817

• 19th century

Multiple Choice

Who founded the American School for the Deaf?

• Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet

• Laurent Clerc

• Alexander Graham Bell

• Martha's Vineyard residents

Multiple Choice

What happened in the 1880s that affected the use of sign language?

• ASL became the language of the American deaf

• Deaf people became politically empowered

• Proponents of oral education discouraged sign language

• ASL began to change back

Multiple Choice

Why were students forbidden from signing in the 1880s?

• To encourage speech training

• To promote the use of ASL

• To improve their math, history, and literature skills

• To prevent them from communicating

Multiple Choice

What did research show about having a full language as early as possible?

• It had no impact on children's development

• It benefited children's language acquisition

• It hindered children's speech development

• It was unnecessary for deaf children

Multiple Choice

Who advocated for giving ASL the respect it deserved?

• Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet

• Laurent Clerc

• Alexander Graham Bell

• Deaf people