Massachusetts School Laws

The Massachusetts School Laws were important rules made in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1642, 1647, and 1648. The most famous one is the 1647 law, often called the Old Deluder Satan Law. Many people see these laws as the very first step towards public schools that everyone had to attend in the United States. Soon after, other New England colonies made similar rules. Some southern colonies took much longer to set up public schools.

Why Education Became a Law

Before the 1647 law, there were already efforts to make sure children learned. The first Massachusetts School Law in 1642 changed how education was managed. Instead of church leaders, local town officials called selectmen were in charge. They had to check if children could read and understand religious ideas and important laws. This law made parents responsible for teaching their children to read and write. It focused on learning at home, not necessarily in a school building. However, this law wasn't always followed well. Because of this, the 1647 law was created by the Massachusetts General Court. This new law pushed towns to create, run, and pay for schools.

What the Laws Required

The 1647 law said that not knowing how to read was a problem caused by Satan. To stop this, young people needed to be educated.

• Every town with more than 50 families had to hire a teacher.
• Every town with more than 100 families had to start a "grammar school."
• If a town didn't follow these rules, it had to pay a fine of £5.

The grammar schools were meant to prepare students for Harvard College. Harvard's main goal was to train young men to become ministers.

The ideas behind these laws came from the Puritan beliefs of the time. A very important Puritan leader, Reverend John Cotton, had a big influence. Puritans wanted everyone to be able to read. They believed this would stop "ye ould deluder, Satan" from keeping people from understanding the Scriptures (the Bible). They thought knowing the Bible was key for living a good life and for salvation. The law also said that Puritan leaders should guide how people understood the Bible. This was to avoid "false glosses of saint seeming deceivers."

In 1648, another education law was passed. It added to the rules from the 1642 law. It said that children and apprentices must be taught reading, public laws, religious teachings (catechism), and "some honest lawful calling." Town selectmen were supposed to check on families. If a child's education was ignored, parents could be fined. Children might even be placed with other families to ensure they learned.

How Well Were the Laws Followed?

It seems that these education laws were not always followed very well. By the late 1650s, all eight towns with 100 families had started grammar schools. About one-third of the towns with 50 families had hired teachers. But many other towns, especially newer ones, ignored the rules. Instead, they just paid the fine. The Massachusetts Civil Code of 1660 repeated the school laws, but towns still didn't always follow them. So, a new law was passed in 1668 to try and enforce them better.