Blob B: The Old Deluder Satan Act

The Old Deluder Satan Act, founded in 1647, established that if a town reached over 50 families, a teacher had to be hired to instruct writing and reading. If it was over 100 families, a "grammar" school was needed, which basically served as a college preparatory school. The Act was established in order for children to learn to read. It was thought that if one could not read, then they would not know how t0 read the bible. If one couldn't read the bible, then they would surely fall to the devil.

To become a teacher in those days, the only requirements you really had were that you had to know how to read and write, you believed in the Church , and that you were loyal to the crown. The interesting thing is synonymous with today, teachers were paid fairly poorly. They received some food, maybe a cow or a pig, and in the winter time they were given wood to fuel the classrooms.

Education since then has become separate from religion. with the separation of church and state. Children no longer learn to read in fear of the devil. We now educate our children so that they may succeed in the world. I think it's safe to say that the United States have come a long way in education since then, though that might be an understatement.

Sources:

http://historyeducationinfo.com/edu1.htm
http://personal.pitnet.net/primarysources/deluder.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/J002606/1600s.html