What was the education during the Revolutionary War?

In 1635 the Boston Latin school open and was the first town supported school and it established a system of local control over schools. The passage of the Massachusetts Deluder Satan Act required every town of at least 50 households to open and operate schools. The intent of the new law was to make sure of the literacy of all citizens so they could "possess knowledge of the Scripture's" The new laws affirmed the colonists concerns to preserve learning within their communities. The infrastructure of American education was established before the revolution and the welfare of the new nation depended on the loyalty, vision, and skill of its citizens. It was considered important that education became one of the central goals of the new government. Washington in his Circular to the States identified the 4 requisites to the independence of the United States and one of the 4 was education. Without an educated population it was felt that the republican form of government could not last. The primary purpose of education was to "enable a citizen to properly discharge his responsibilities as a member of a free society." By 1855 it was clear that more public schools were needed to teach the large foreign born population settling within the country and it was felt that school could combat the growing differences in social classes, train students for work, and teach about democratic principals.