Johann Paulsackel

Johann Paulsackel (born July 28, 1805 in Armsheim , † August 1855 in New Orleans ) was a champion for democratic freedom rights and a school reformer.

Life

The beginning

Johann Paulsackel, born as a teacher's son in Armsheim in 1805, came to Oppenheim in 1839 and taught there at the Catholic school in the Bartholomäus school.

The communal school movement

The two religious denominations of the Lutherans and the Reformed , which had existed since the Reformation, merged to form a union in the Hessian province of Rheinhessen in 1822 and henceforth called themselves Evangelical . As a result, the previously separate schools in Oppenheim also merged to form the Protestant school.

Strong forces under the leadership of the mayor and other teachers wanted to use this opportunity and combine all previously denominational schools in a single city school - the communal school . Catholic and Jewish children should also take part in the union and all confessional barriers between children should be broken. The project failed, however, due to the resistance of the Catholic part of the population under the leadership of the clergy at the time.

Paulsackel took up the concept of the communal school again and became its most ardent advocate. In 1849 he wrote a corresponding petition to the city council with the signatures of the various teachers to establish a so-called unified school. The teaching staff found strong support from the 230-member Democratic Association , which submitted its own request on Jan 17, 1849. Alongside this, signatures were collected from the population. But as in 1822, the efforts to introduce the communal school failed because of the resistance of the Catholic part of the population.

Freedom Movement 1848/49

Many teachers let themselves be influenced by the politically turbulent times of the time, got involved and sometimes had to face unpleasant consequences. Paulsackel played a leading role in the freedom movement of 1848/49. Through his participation in the political events of 1848–1850, the then 40-year-old Catholic teacher set a great example for the young teachers.

In 1849 he entered the Hessian state parliament for the Democratic Association for the constituency of Oppenheim (second chamber in Darmstadt).

The leading role of Paulsackel in the freedom movement was a thorn in the side of the Hessian government.

The escalation of events

The government's reaction to the progressive Oppenheim demands was not long in coming and hit the head of fire at its most sensitive point, its education office.

• January 25, 1850: Paulsackel relieved of his teaching post
• Remuneration only until February 19, deducting the remuneration of his assistant
• Request to vacate his official apartment in the school building
• Paulsackel ordered to Darmstadt on February 2, 1850, before the head of higher education
• He did not comply with the request, but went on a journey and was only back in Oppenheim at the beginning of March. Paulsackel immediately founded a so-called "free school" that also taught French and English, relying on his large following. At the beginning it was very popular among the population and was attended by many children of all religious denominations. Accordingly, the number of pupils in regular schools fell sharply.
• On April 22nd, the Rheinhessen government banned the free school from continuing. She put pressure on the public and asked continuously about the status and especially about the number of missing students in the regular classes.
• As a result, the number of students in Paulsackel's school steadily crumbled and the students gradually returned to the previous classes.

Paulsackel had thus lost his battle against the government in Darmstadt and was still without funds. He could not delay the ordered evacuation of his official apartment any further. His request to his friends in Oppenheim to get him another apartment fell on deaf ears.

Paulsackel was also in the dock in the notorious trial in Mainz in 1850, but was acquitted. When the accused marched to the court in Mainz, he had given the farewell speech on the Oppenheim market square.

In October 1850, Paulsackel's disappointment and perplexity had apparently reached its climax: he disappeared without a trace from his apartment and town. His widow is said to have lived in Mainz in 1855. He also had a daughter.

Addendum

It was only much later that it became known that Paulsackel had apparently emigrated to New Orleans in 1854 and died there of yellow fever a year later .

In 1874, about 20 years later, a communal school was set up in Oppenheim .

Remarks

1. ↑ Friends in need ...

literature

• Jochen Lengemann : MdL Hessen. 1808-1996. Biographical index (= political and parliamentary history of the state of Hesse. Vol. 14 = publications of the Historical Commission for Hesse. Vol. 48, 7). Elwert, Marburg 1996, ISBN 3-7708-1071-6 , p. 289.
• Klaus-Dieter Rack, Bernd Vielsmeier: Hessian MPs 1820–1933. Biographical evidence for the first and second chambers of the state estates of the Grand Duchy of Hesse 1820–1918 and the state parliament of the People's State of Hesse 1919–1933 (= Political and parliamentary history of the State of Hesse. Vol. 19 = Work of the Hessian Historical Commission. NF Vol. 29) . Hessian Historical Commission, Darmstadt 2008, ISBN 978-3-88443-052-1 , No. 665.
• Weinheimer, Heinrich: Biography "Paulsackel und seine Schicksal" published in "Oppenheim, Geschichte einer alten Reichsstadt" (on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the town elevation), Oppenheim 1975, pages 318-319, editor: Dr. Hans Licht (Dr. Martin Held Foundation)

Web links

• Paulsackel, Johann. Hessian biography. (As of June 5, 2019). In: Landesgeschichtliches Informationssystem Hessen (LAGIS).