Final answer:
The name of the act that made elementary schooling compulsory and universal in 1870 is the Elementary Education Act.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer to the question regarding the legislation that made elementary schooling compulsory and universal is a) The Elementary Education Act of 1870. This piece of legislation was a milestone in the history of education, leading to a rapid increase in literacy rates and the development of a literate population, which subsequently became the target audience for mass-produced literature and journalism.
The spread of education was tied to multiple societal benefits, including the reduction of poverty and the enhancement of democratic participation, according to the efforts of reformers like Horace Mann in the United States.