College is not required. College was a bit of a joke then in the 1700’s as it is now. A parent with a solid general education can teach a child how to think and study and to research for themselves, and, of course, general knowledge such as English and math. The child can take that basic understanding and apply it to whatever field of study they desire. The parent doesn’t need to have a formal education, just knowledge and the wisdom and desire to teach.
“College was a bit of a joke then in the 1700’s as it is now.”
No. Although some new colleges in the colonies might not have had a vaunted reputation, university education was very respected and no one considered in a joke in itself.
>>College is not required.
Depends what you are doing. I would submit that it would be hard to homeschool things like engineering, physics, chemistry, etc.
That said, there are quite a lot of degrees these days that are a joke.