User:Pereiraplain/sandbox

The Massachusetts Drawing Act of 1870, formally known as An Act Relating to Free Instruction in Drawing was passed by the Massachusetts legislature on May 16, 1870 and required the teaching of drawing in public schools across Massachusetts.

Background
A petition was delivered to the Massachusetts legislative session in 1869 requesting that the government mandate drawing education to all public school students. There were twelve individual signatories and two companies. The petition emphasized that drawing was a skill the public needed for the development of the manufacturing sector. They argued industries in the United States were falling behind their European counterparts in part due to a lack or drawing education.