What was the old deluder act?

The Old Deluder Satan Act, enacted in 1647 in Massachusetts, aimed to ensure that towns provided education to children to prevent ignorance, which was seen as a tool of Satan to mislead people. The act required towns with 50 or more households to establish a grammar school, and those with 100 or more households to hire a teacher of Latin and Greek. This legislation laid the groundwork for public education in colonial America, emphasizing the importance of literacy and religious instruction. Its name reflects the belief that education was essential to combat moral and spiritual deception.