sentences:  The young women were exposed to ideas and customs from all the relatively isolated parts of the new nation, developing a more national perspective than most Americans of the period.More than 80 percent of the students were from out of town and boarded with families throughout Litchfield, under Sarah Pierce's supervision.The young women were well integrated into the social, religious and cultural life of the town, known for its staunch Federalist politics and Congregational religious practice.