Creating Patriotic Citizens for an Imperial Country? Value Inculcation in the Elementary Schools of Birmingham and Worcestershire, 1880–1902

This article investigates how, at a time of imperial growth, values of patriotic citizenship were taught to and learned by pupils in the elementary schools of Birmingham and Worcestershire. It argues that, although teaching in schools within the two areas was often very different, both nonetheless provided educational environments and curricula that encouraged the learning of moral, patriotic and imperial values through formal teaching and everyday school activities. This process was facilitated by frequent elision and conflation of morality with patriotic and imperial values. The reception of values is framed within research into children’s agency. A variety of techniques and materials are utilised to locate the hidden voice of schoolchildren, helping to illuminate their agentic ability to accept or refute the values taught.