The American Lyceum Association was founded in 1831 by American statesman Daniel Webster and educator Josiah Holbrook. The Latin word "Lyceum" comes

The American Lyceum Association was founded in 1831 by American statesman Daniel Webster and educator Josiah Holbrook. The Latin word "Lyceum" comes from the Greek word "Lykeion" which referred to the school outside Athens where Aristotle taught from 325 to 323 B.C. In 19th century America, the Lyceum movement was a popular venue for public lectures and concerts and spread quickly to 3,000 locations in New England and the Midwest by 1834. Popular Lyceum speakers of that era included Web...

The American Lyceum Association was founded in 1831 by American statesman Daniel Webster and educator Josiah Holbrook. The Latin word "Lyceum" comes from the Greek word "Lykeion" which referred to the school outside Athens where Aristotle taught from 325 to 323 B.C. In 19th century America, the Lyceum movement was a popular venue for public lectures and concerts and spread quickly to 3,000 locations in New England and the Midwest by 1834. Popular Lyceum speakers of that era included Webster, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Frederick Douglas, Henry David Thoreau and Susan B. Anthony. Lyceums often were permanent buildings and lecture halls associated with colleges or churches. The Lyceum movement was most popular from 1831 to 1860 and played an important role in the educational and social development