E l h k b f j. By 1920 the palmer method was the primary form of cursive that was being taught in schools. Is Cursive Handwriting Slowly Dying Out In America Pbs Newshour By 800 bc it had spread to greece and under the rule of alexander the great it further spread to egypt persia and india. History of cursive writing . The ancient phoenician alphabet also developed around 1500 bc. In the mid 1800s an abolitionist and bookkeeper named platt rogers spencer attempted to democratize american penmanship by formulating a cursive writing system known as the spencerian method and. It comprised 22 phonetically based symbols and was widely used. The cursive and basic lowercase letters in the bfh program derive from the italic that developed in the 14th century renaissance a time of extraordinary art and learning. Handwriting played a critical role at the time from formal papal edicts to politically motivated communiques between powerful families and governments. Cursive writing is a...