Compulsory schooling, introduced in the nineteenth century, pushed back the age of maturity to sixteen or so.

NEWYORKER: Spoiled Rotten

The United States differs from many other countries in that compulsory schooling ends at age 16, thus making it possible for many students to leave school before completing basic education as defined in United States.

UNESCO: II Part Analytic Section

Fast-forward to the Revolution of 1789 and francien-derived French was imposed as the language of liberty and nationhood, its spread then aided by the emergence of a French press in the 19th century and, from 1882, by compulsory schooling.

ECONOMIST: How multilingual is France?