literacy and democracy

     Americans may have been the first people who ever entertained the idea of universal education--of educating everyone.  This was a local idea at first. Some of the Puritans of New England, more than 300 years ago, thought that all children should have enough education to be able to read the Bible. To this end they began a school, attended by every child in the town. The school wasn't exactly free--everyone had to pay a small fee to the teacher--but the idea was revolutionary. No one had ever thought of educating every child, male and female, before. No one had even considered educating every male child.  Most people, even doctors and experts, believed that only some children could be educated, and that others--most others--simply had no talent or aptitude for education.
     Many people still believe this, doctors and experts among them.  Their belief seems reasonable, since we now have people who have supposedly spent years in school, who still can't read and write. But since this information upholds their beliefs, the experts haven't inquired into the facts of the matter.  They may find, if they do, that some of the people who supposedly spent years in school missed most of the first few grades, or attended only a few days per year, and never made up the missed lessons. They will find people who can't read and write because they never learned how--plain and simple.
     Literacy isn't a frill. It's a necessary life skill, and more. The people in medieval times who couldn't read all had jobs--jobs that don't exist today. The people who lived in medieval times were ruled by a king and his court. People today are expected to take part in the democratic process,which is impossible for the illiterate.  The rise of literacy made the rise of democracy possible--and democracy cannot prosper without it.