Talk:Anti-literacy laws in the United States

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Are there no other examples, than that of enslaved/coloured people in the USA?

Were there not proscriptions in China against Chinese being taught to foreigners, at one time? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 120.18.191.175 (talk) 06:34, 1 July 2013 (UTC)


 * I'm sure there must be some other examples, especially from conquering antiquity. I'm afraid I can't think of any specific examples, though. — Sasuke Sarutobi (talk) 22:47, 16 October 2013 (UTC)


 * This may not be a uniquely American phenomenon. The Emperor Constantine restricted teaching to Christians, and in later times teachers had to be licensed by a bishop. A side effect of Henry VIII's sacking of the monasteries in England, Wales and Ireland was the closure of most schools. The Protestants wanted everyone to read the new English Bible, and free-standing schools were set up. The ensuing increase in literacy was blamed by the philosopher Thomas Hobbes for the English Civil War and the beheading of King Charles I. Schooling continued to expand in England until the French Revolution caused alarm. Many "Public Schools" went to the courts for permission to ignore their charter obligations to educate the poor, which was considered to be risky. Public education developed more slowly in 19th century England than, e.g. Scotland, because of middle and upper class apprehensions about educating the lower orders. Apart from the ban on literacy for slaves, or blacks in general, there was opposition in the US to teaching reading, writing and arithmetic to "farmers and mechanics." NRPanikker (talk) 01:27, 28 November 2020 (UTC)


 * Other languages were also effectively stamped out by the ban on teaching by non-Christians, even though they were not explicitly included among the seven "forbidden arts." These included Ancient Egyptian and Babylonian/Assyrian, which may have been taught by priests or minor clerics in the relevant Roman provinces, and possibly also Sumerian: which if it was still known would have been used for religious purposes only. Christian missionaries from the 16th to 20th centuries continued to stamp out pagan learning. A Catholic bishop ordered the destruction of most Aztec books, and Jesuits priests are reported to have burned vast numbers of manuscripts in the Philippines. Portuguese soldiers and priests confiscated and destroyed "heretical" Syriac manuscripts from the churches of Kerala, but the use of Syriac was not banned. Missionaries generally ban the old songs and stories: this was intensified by the Reformation, which often suppressed European mythologies in favour of a cod-Jewish heritage. This process continued in Africa, Asia and the Americas. Banning oral literature also impoverishes the languages carrying it. In Oceania, elite users of the Easter Island script were taken away as slaves and missionaries stamped out its teaching. NRPanikker (talk) 01:51, 28 November 2020 (UTC)