The rise of compulsory education As the U.S. economy shifted from a more localized agrarian society to a mass production machine, families relocated closer to cities, and—at least initially—many sent their children to work in the factories. This triggered a countermovement to prevent kids from being forced to toil in mills. The solution: compulsory public education for kids. Between 1920 and 1936, the share of teenagers in high school more than doubled, from about 30 percent to more than 60 percent. As young people spent more time in school, they developed their own customs in an environment
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