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Justin Smith Morrill
Born April 14, 1810. He served the State of Vermont as Representative and then Senator. Besides pushing for federal funding for public colleges and universities, he was a founder of the Republican Party, was involved in creating the Library of Congress and the Washington Monument. -
Morrill Proposed First Resolution
Justin Morrill proposed that colleges offer a more liberal and practical curriculum teaching agriculture and mechanical arts. He wanted colleges to help in the development of American agriculture (Safransky, 2015). -
President Buchanan Vetoes Morrill Act
In 1859, the first Morrill Act was secured, but President James Buchanan vetoed it. This was a small setback for Morrill, but he was not discouraged. He worked on revisions and had it ready for the next president to come into office: Abraham Lincoln ("The Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890," 2015). -
Land-grant Colleges Formed
The Act prompted 48 colleges, one college in each state of the contiguous states, to be formed that would teach agriculture, engineering, military tactics, and the sciences. Prior to the Act, education consisted of mainly private schools that only the well off could afford (Lee & Keys, 2012). -
First Morrill Land-Grant College Act
The Britannica Encyclopedia states this law gave states public land, 30,000 acres for each of its congressional seats, to be sold or used for profit and the proceeds used to establish a college that would teach agriculture and the mechanical arts. -
President Lincoln Signs the Morrill Act
With the signing of the Morrill Act, the country began a partnership between the federal government and the states to establish the public system of higher education that we are familiar with today. -
Liberal and Practical Education
For over 150 years, colleges have been providing liberal and practical education. These institutions have also provided ground-breaking research and provided solutions to agricultural and social challenges. -
Blacks Win Freedom But Not An Education
"In 1865, about four million, hard working, but primarily illiterate blacks were set free from slavery" ("The Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890, 2015, p. 1). Although the country would benefit from educating this segment of the population, they were excluded until the 1890 Morrill Act. -
Hatch Act of 1887
The Hatch Act initiated research to the land-grant colleges. It allocated direct funds to establish agricultural experiment stations: informed farmers of new developments, developed grains for arid soil, developed dry farming techniques to help land retain moisture, and enabled dry plains to flourish. The appropriation was determined by a formula based on the number of small farmers. An opportunity was created to work with farmers and teach them ways to increase their production. -
1862 & 1890 Disciplines Funded by the Land-grants
The grant money supported disciplines in: Agriculture: horticulture, forestry, agronomy, animal husbandry, dairying, veterinary, medicine, poultry husbandry, and agriculture; Mechanic arts: mechanical engineering, marine engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, irrigation engineering, mining engineering, marine engineering, railway engineering, experimental engineering, textile industry, architecture, machine design, mechanical drawing, etc. -
Morrill Act of 1890
This Act of 1890 provided annual appropriations to each state to support the land grant colleges. This new law also forbade discrimination in admissions of any college receiving money. "The federal government committed to providing financial support to schools so long as states matched the level of support" (Lee & Keys, 2013). -
1890 Land-grant Universities
Alabama A&M University, Alcorn State University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Langston University, Lincoln University, North Carolina A&T State University, Prairie View A&M University, South Carolina State University, Southern University System, Tennessee State University, Tuskegee University, University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Virginia State University, West Virginia State Univ -
Adams Act of 1906
This Act provided additional funding for research and experiments. -
Nelson Amendment
The Amendment increased appropriations to $50,000 from $25,000. This remained in effect until revenues were supplanted by other federal resources in 1994. It also provided special preparation of instructors to teach agriculture and mechanical arts. -
Smith-Lever Act of 1914
The Smith-Lever Act was introduced by Michael Hoke Smith, Senator from Georgia later governor, and Asbury Francis Lever, member of U.S. House of Representatives. The Act created programs to support small farmers and the development of agricultural businesses. -
Smith-Hughes Vocational Education Act
Grant money was allocated to eligible states to promote vocational education in agriculture, home economics, and industrial arts. Grants would be available to train teachers in the college level and to pay part of the salary of agricultural teachers in high school. -
Purnell Act of 1925
States were given funding for research to establish and maintain a permanent and efficient agricultural industry, and develop and improve the rural home and rural life, -
1960 Amendment to Title II, Section 22
The 1960's and 1970's included Pacific and Carribean islands in the land-grants as well as Puerto Rico. -
Evans-Allen Act of 1977
The Act provided funding for food and agricultural research at the 1890 land-grant universities. "Its purpose was to promote efficient production, marketing, distribution and utilization of products of the farm as essential to the health and welfare of people and to promote a sound prosperous agriculture and rural life" (Lee & Keys, 2013). -
NARETPA 1977
This law provided federal funding for agricultural extension programs and activities at 1890 land-grant institutions" (Lee & Keys, 2013, p. 1). This law strengthened research programs and allotted more money. -
1994 Institutions Endowment Fund
In 1994, the federal government approved monies to establish an Endowment Fund in lieu of land for Native American colleges. The District of Columbia was also granted the same status of a land-grant college. -
Impact of the Vision
Colleges were established, education became more inclusive, the door for research was opened, agriculture boomed, government prohibited discrimination in admissions from schools receiving funds were the beginnings of a total transformation of education in America. Morrill, a man who never attended college, revolutionized higher education with effects still felt in the 21st century. -
References
Lee, J. M., Jr., & Keys, S. W. (2013). Land-grant but unequal. Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. Retrieved September 13, 2017, from http://www.aplu.org/library/land-grant-but-unequal-state-one-to-one-match-funding-for-1890-land-grant-universities/file
Safransky, R. (2015). Law and higher education. Retrieved September 14, 2017, from http://lawhigheredu.com/90-morrill-acts.html -
References
The Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. (2015) Retrieved September 12, 2017, from http://www.1890universities.org/history
