Today, private education is not uncommon in America, and many societies have a private school in the area that can be attended by students as one alternative to public schools. Private schools have been in the history of America as early as 1628. Since widespread schooling appeared in the United States, there has been unrest between those who support public, state and government supported schools for the nation and those who support private schools. For a while, there was not much distinction between public and private schools, until the 1830's. This is where the story of education splits into two clear chapters of public and private education. This site will detail the differences between the two, highlighting common themes that occur on both a national level and a local level in the town of Easthampton, Massachusetts, with the history of the preparatory Williston Northampton School during the period of 1800-1880.