马萨诸塞1642年教育法与马萨诸塞1647年教育法（又名“老骗子撒旦法”）是英语世界最早的强迫教育立法。两部法律对马萨诸塞的教育与社会发展产生了重要影响，在一定程度上决定了日后马萨诸塞教育事业的发展方向，并成为了日后美国各州进行强迫教育立法、兴办公共学校的经验基础。这个“世界最早” 出现在建立只有十余年的新兴殖民地——马萨诸塞，而并非诞生在其他发达富裕的地区。两部法律最终促成了马萨诸塞居民教育意识的转变以及市镇公共学校体系的建立。殖民地政府为何会在资源有限、社会体系不完备的情况下颁布教育法律并坚持实施，最终建立起覆盖全殖民地的学校与教育体系，其背后的原因值得深思。 以马萨诸塞官方历史记录为基础，结合有关清教主义、殖民地社会等方面的研究成果进行分析，从马萨诸塞诸社会因素入手，厘清殖民地影响教育发展的各种要素，考察马萨诸塞进行教育立法的动因。有针对性的分析马萨诸塞1642、1647年教育法的历史背景、形成过程和条款内容，尽可能勾勒出两部法律的全貌。最后考察两部法律的实施情况与历史影响，点出两部法律的重要意义。 马萨诸塞以中产为主的特殊人口结构、自治的政治体系、强烈的宗教属性等因素为教育事业的发展提供了现实可行性基础。在此之上，为回应清教理念的内生要求、应对17世纪40年代殖民地的社会危机，马萨诸塞大议会最终颁布了1642年教育法与1647年教育法。两部法律基于马萨诸塞有利的社会与自然条件，在遵从英格兰东盎格鲁政治传统的基础上，旨在维系马萨诸塞的清教共同体性质。1642年教育法作为一部教育监管法案，规范了殖民地儿童的教育，要求所有家长教育儿童学习阅读、社会规则、宗教与职业技能，与马萨诸塞死刑法等法律共同力图维护社会秩序与经济繁荣、维系马萨诸塞作为宗教共同体的使命。1647年教育法作为一部学校法案，要求各市镇依照自身规模提供不同层次的公共教育，与1642年教育法互为表里，实现了教育责任的完整覆盖，既明确了教育的强迫性，也提供了教育机会。

The Massachusetts Education Act of 1642 and the Massachusetts Education Act of 1647 (also known as the "Old Liar Satan Act") are the earliest compulsory education legislation in the English-speaking world. The two laws have had an important impact on the education and social development of Massachusetts. To a certain extent, they have determined the development direction of Massachusetts education in the future, and have become the basis for the experience of compulsory education legislation and the establishment of schools in the United States. This “world's earliest” appeared in the newly established colony, Massachusetts, which was established only for more than a decade, and was not born in other developed and wealthy regions. The two laws eventually led to the transformation of Massachusetts residents' educational awareness and the establishment of a municipal public-school system. Why did the colonial government enact education laws and insist on implementation in the case of limited resources and incomplete social systems, and finally establish a school and education system covering the entire colony, and the reasons behind it are worth pondering. Based on the official history of Massachusetts, combined with the research results of Puritanism and colonial society, this paper starts with the social factors of Massachusetts, clarifies the various elements of colonial influence on education development, and examines the motivation of Massachusetts's education legislation. At the same time, it analyzes the historical background, formation process and terms of the education law of Massachusetts 1642 and 1647, and outlines the whole picture of the two laws as much as possible. Finally, we will examine the implementation and historical impact of the two laws and point out the significance of the two laws.