Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
A good example is education. Until 1880, education was not compulsory in England, and until 1891 it was not free. I'm sure, however, that today most people would consider it a fundamental duty of the government of a country to provide an educational system, and access to education to be a "right".
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Whereas government sponsered education has always been a bedrock of the American culture. The quickest way to learn of the new things in America was to read about them, so reading and writing were deemed necessary "game rules". For an example, read Mark Twain's
Tom Sawyer written in the early 1870's, about a period in the 1840's, particularly the schoolhouse scenes.