{"product_id":"augdod-q360","title":"1880 Robert Raikes Sunday School Centenary Medallion","description":"1880 Robert Raikes Sunday School Centenary Medallion\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nThough they had existed in various forms since the 16th century, Sunday (or Sabbath) schools as we know them today originated in 18th-century England. Starting around 1780 and piggybacking on the wider progressive ideals of the Enlightenment, there was a widespread push to provide children of all backgrounds with a rudimentary education in reading, writing, and \"cyphering\" (mathematics). This was done in conjunction with religious teaching, and the Sunday school was born.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne of the greatest proponents of the Sunday school was Robert Raikes, editor of the \u003ci\u003eGloucester Journal\u003c\/i\u003e. Around 1781, Raikes established his own school and began promoting the benefits of universal education for children in a series of articles. These articles inspired churches across England to establish their own weekly schools, which remained the primary means of acquiring an education for most children until the Education Act was passed in 1870. With this, the modern school system was born, and Sunday school was left to fill in religious education with weekly catechism classes. This was the Sunday school familiar to children in 1880, when this Victorian medal celebrating the 100th anniversary of Sunday school was minted. It features a bust of Robert Raikes on the obverse and text on the reverse, which reads, \"Sunday School Centenary 1880 - In Commemoration of the Establishment of Sunday Schools.\"","brand":"Colonial Acres Coins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53060430561569,"sku":"Aug.DOD-Q360","price":14.95,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0679\/1744\/7457\/files\/Q360.jpg?v=1784734759","url":"https:\/\/www.colonialacres.com\/products\/augdod-q360","provider":"Colonial Acres Coins","version":"1.0","type":"link"}