Anoop Randhawa

2-3

Origins of American Sign Language

In the early 1800s, there were only a few thousand deaf Americans. No signed

language actually existed at that time in the United States, but many signing systems were

created in communities. These so-called “signing systems” are now known as the Old

American Sign Language. The history of American Sign Language does not actually begin

until 1814. In 1814, the United States of America was introduced to deaf education from a

minister named Dr. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. He was born on December 10, 1787 in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Once Gallaudet graduated from Yale College in 1805, he studied

theology at Andover (Massachusetts). After finishing his studies, Gallaudet settled down in

Hartford, Connecticut. Mason Fitch Cogswell was Gallaudet’s neighbour in Hartford. Mason

had a deaf daughter, her name was Alice Cogswell. Thomas realized that the young girl was

very intelligent, even though she couldn’t speak or hear. He soon became determined to teach

Alice how to communicate. Although Gallaudet had some success teaching Alice how to

read, he did not know about the most effective ways of educating the deaf. He became

immensely interested in learning more about the education of the deaf. Gallaudet was aware

that there was a history of deaf education in Europe. He knew he could learn the best

educational methods there. Therefore, Gallaudet gained community support and raised

enough money to travel to Europe. At a public demonstration in England, Gallaudet met

Abbé Roch-Ambroise Sicard, head of the French Royal Institute for the Deaf, as well as Jean

Massieu and Laurent Clerc. They invited him to visit their school in Paris. Both Jean Massieu

and Laurent Clerc were once Sicard’s students. They both became successful deaf educators.

Gallaudet began studying the teaching methods of these instructors. He began learning the
teaching methods using Langue des Signes Française (LSF). Thomas even took private

lessons with Laurent Clerc, who was one of the best teachers at the Institute. While learning

in Paris, Gallaudet asked Laurent Clerc to come to America and help him establish a school

for deaf students. Clerc was one of Sicard’s best students, and Gallaudet knew that he would

be a huge help in starting a deaf school in the United States. Laurent Clerc agreed and joined

Gallaudet on his journey back home. While sailing to America, Clerc taught Gallaudet LSF,

in exchange, Gallaudet taught Clerc English. On April 15, 1817, Gallaudet and Clerc opened

the first deaf school in the United States of America. The school was set up in Hartford,

Connecticut, and was called the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of

Deaf and Dumb Persons. This is now called the American School for the Deaf.This was a

huge milestone in American Deaf History. The school began to grow quickly. Deaf children

from all over the United States came to Hartford to attend this school. The students brought

with them signs from home. American Sign Language came about from these signs as well as

signs from the French Sign Language. In 1830, Gallaudet decided to retire. Laurent Clerc, on

the other hand, continued to teach at the deaf school until the 1850s. Deaf students who

graduated from the American School for the Deaf (ASD) would go to different states to set

up new schools for deaf students. By 1863, 22 deaf schools had been established in America.

They continued to use Clerc’s deaf education methods in these schools. By the 1900s, a

nationwide network of residential (deaf) schools was formed. Deaf people could now share

their sign language and cultural experiences without any communication barriers. The

relationships they would form in these schools would last a lifetime. When Thomas Hopkins

Gallaudet died in 1851, his youngest son, Edward Miner Gallaudet decided to continue his

legacy in deaf education. Edward became a teacher at the American School for the Deaf in

Hartford. Edward soon decided he wanted to establish a deaf college. In 1857, Edward was
asked to be the superintendent of the Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Blind in

Washington, D.C. A few years later, Edward presented his idea for a deaf college to the

Congress. They passed the legislation in 1864, allowing him to establish the college. That

same year, the National Deaf-Mute College was opened by Edward. This was the first college

for the deaf. In 1893, the college was renamed Gallaudet College to honour Thomas Hopkins

Gallaudet. In 1986, the school was renamed Gallaudet University. Gallaudet University is

known today for being the first deaf university in the world. The American Sign Language in

use today is a result of 205 years of deaf families and students passing down the signed

language from one generation to the next. American Sign Language has become one of the

most used languages in the United States of America.

 Works Cited

“History of American Sign Language .” ​Https://Www.dawnsign.com,​ 17 Aug.

2016, www.dawnsign.com/news-detail/history-of-american-sign-language.

Vicars, William G. “American Sign Language: ASL History .” ​History of

ASL,​ 1 Jan. 2001, www.lifeprint.com/asl101/pages-layout/history1.htm.