The correct answer is B) Few children knew how to read printed material.
The statement that best describes why so few children attended schools in America before the Civil War is " Few children knew how to read printed material."
Of course, there were schools in those years but the poor people were illiterate, did not how to read, and some times had to work helping the family in the farming fields. Local churches or local communities provided education in some parts of the Southern states, instead of formal education institutes. More than educative programs or policies, many teachers taught by their own experiences and resources.
