Final answer:
Nineteenth-century reform movements led by figures like Horace Mann and spurred by the temperance movement and the Second Great Awakening catalyzed the establishment of public education systems, which significantly boosted literacy by making education inclusive and accessible to a broader population.
Step-by-step explanation:
The 19th-century reform movements had a profound impact on various social and economic changes, including the rise in literacy. Movements during the early 1800s, particularly influenced by the Second Great Awakening, emphasized human goodness and the need for self-improvement. This milieu saw the push for abstaining from vices through the temperance movement, improvements in public institutions like schools, the fight against slavery, and the women's rights crusade. The enactment of free and public education laws, such as in France under Jules Ferry in 1882, greatly enhanced literacy rates by making education accessible to all children, not just the wealthy. These policies established a common national culture with standardized curriculums taught in a common language.
Key figures in reforming education were Horace Mann and the McGuffey Readers, instrumental in shaping public education that taught academic subjects alongside values such as morality and discipline. This wave of school reform ensured that youth were prepared not only for the labor market but for active civic participation - a cornerstone of a robust democracy.
Additionally, technological advances in transportation and printing reduced publication costs, enabling reformers to disseminate ideas and forge transatlantic connections, further stirring social and educational reforms. Through this intertwining of moral, social, and educational growth, literacy expanded as an essential component of an individual's personal and economic development possibilities.