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In 1642, Massachusetts passed a law mandating children's reading instruction. They were to be taught to read and understand "the principals of religion and the capital laws of the country". -
In 1669, Puritan missionary John Eliot published an American primer meant to convert Massachusetts Indians to Christianity. Working with translators, Eliot was able to provide the Indians with primers in their own language acquainting them with the teachings of the Christian faith.
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As part of the the revival of diverse press, religious texts took the publishing industry by storm. To illustrate, in 1984, Francis Schaeffer's Christian Manifesto outsold Jane Fonda's Workout Book by a 2-1 margin.
