Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet

I had my midterm exam in my ASL class today. Oh the horror of history! I was never good with dates and historic figures. Remembering names and the like. I am a little more big picture in history. One of the major figures in ASL is Thomas Gallaudet. I remember him, but who he went to visit in France, who he brought back to America, where he started his first school, what place turned him away at first, all a blur! Just like my first round of college days!

Birthplace
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was born in 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

One day in Hartford
One day he noticed a young Deaf neighbor, Alice Cogswell. He wanted to see her and wondered how to communicate with her since she did not hear. He tried to write notes to her. After successful attempts to teach the young deaf how to name a hat by writing H-A-T on notes and she understood the sense, Cogswell's parents wanted to take Gallaudet as their representative.And that's when Galladaut found his life-long dream.

Gallaudet's trip to Europe
Gallaudet's mission was to find a method for teaching the deaf people established earlier in Europe and with such knowledge he would return to the US to establish a school for the deaf. So he went to England to see if he found something there. There was a school for the deaf in London. After fruitless talk with the director of the school, he was fortunate as he met the French person, Abbe Sicard, who worked as principal of the school for the deaf mutes in Paris, France and who influenced Gallaudet and the teaching of the deaf in America. Upon Sicard's invitation, Gallaudet went to Paris.

In Paris
Gallaudet was in Paris to learn the sign method of cummunication. There he met Laurent Clerc, who was deaf, and Gallaudet was interested in his teaching method. After several months, Gallaudet asked Clerc to come with him to the US. Clerc was more than happy and brought a system sign language coming from his native sign language which would serve for the deaf in the US. Such a language is not familiar as American sign language.

With Clerc Gallaudet returned to the US
Gallaudet was excited as he was home again and had what to show around. The school for the deaf was founded thanks to Gallaudet and Clerc in 1817 in Hartford. Alice Cogswell was one of the first students being happy to see Gallaudet principal of the school. Clerc was teacher. So the first school for the deaf was born in Hartford and because of that American sign language also was born there.

After Gallaudet's death, Gallaudet University was founded
His son, Edward Miner Gallaudet, made efforts to convince Congress to respect Gallaudet's efforts in teaching the deaf in the US. As a result, Gallaudet College was established and was the first college of its kind.