USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Historical Background Puritans believed that reading the Bible was important to achieving salvation and, therefore, teaching children to read was a priority in their colonial centers.

Detailed explanation-2: -Children were taught not to express any extreme emotion, whether anger or joy. Children were strictly disciplined to obey and not exert their own will. Children were prohibited from freely playing and were put to tasks. Games and toys were special privileges, not a daily expectation.

Detailed explanation-3: -The doctrine of the priesthood of the believer motivated Puritans to teach reading to all citizens so that they could know and follow the Christian scriptures. As early as 1642, Massachusetts law required literacy instruction to all children, servants, and apprentices.

Detailed explanation-4: -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".