The Contribution of Russian Missionaries of the American Orthodox Mission to the Formation of the Education System in Russian America

The policy of education was an important component of the process of consolidating the Russian hold on the North American continent: raising the level of literacy of the local population and attracting educated cadre from among the autochthonous population to work in Russian America contributed to the establishment of friendly relations with the indigenous population of Alaska and, as a result, consolidation of Russian power in region. However, the development of secular and theological education fell on the shoulders of Russian missionaries. The article examines the establishment and financing of schools, the development of curricula and the main types of schools and colleges in the Russian period of the history of Alaska (the second half of the 18th century to 1867) through the prism of the influence of Russian missionaries on the education system of Russian America.