ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -The Puritans valued literacy highly; they believed all individuals should be able to read and interpret the Bible for themselves. In 1642 Massachusetts had required parents to ensure their children’s ability to read, and five years later, in this act, the state mandated community schooling.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Puritans, in contrast, believed that everyone needed to be educated so that they could read and follow the teachings of the Bible. They felt if the whole of society would read the bible their society would be right and flourish.

Detailed explanation-3: -Escaping persecution from church leadership and the King, they came to America. The Puritans believed that the Bible was God’s true law, and that it provided a plan for living. The established church of the day described access to God as monastic and possible only within the confines of “church authority".

Detailed explanation-4: -As dissidents, they sought religious freedom and economic opportunities in distant lands. They were religious people with a strong piety and a desire to establish a holy commonwealth of people who would carry out God’s will on earth.

Detailed explanation-5: -Puritans believed that reading the Bible was important to achieving salvation and, therefore, teaching children to read was a priority in their colonial centers.