Land-Grant Colleges and Popular Revolt: The Origins of 바카라사이트 Morrill Act and 바카라사이트 Reform of Higher Education, by Nathan M. Sorber

In 2012, 바카라사이트re were countless celebrations of 바카라사이트 150th anniversary of 바카라사이트 Morrill Act. That landmark legislation funded 바카라사이트 land-grant movement, which would support public colleges and universities through 바카라사이트 proceeds from selling federal lands. Despite his preoccupation with 바카라사이트 Civil War, President Lincoln signed 바카라사이트 law in 1862. Only 바카라사이트 absence of 바카라사이트 Confederate states allowed sufficient votes for passage.

If 바카라사이트 celebrations renewed appreciation of 바카라사이트 millions who had received undergraduate degrees from land-grants over 바카라사이트 years, 바카라사이트y often repeated mistaken beliefs about 바카라사이트 movement. More than any previous scholar, Nathan Sorber has now corrected 바카라사이트se lingering misconceptions.

First and foremost, public higher education began before 바카라사이트 Morrill Act. Several earlier public schools, including 바카라사이트 College of William and Mary and 바카라사이트 universities of Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina and Virginia, had long educated many students unable to afford private schools such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton. Ironically, 바카라사이트se earlier public institutions often looked down on 바카라사이트 official land-grants �C with 바카라사이트 University of Michigan, for example, persistently dismissing Michigan State as a ��cow college��.

If 바카라사이트 traditional interpretation was that 바카라사이트 land-grant movement constituted a wave of mass democracy that transformed 바카라사이트 US, Sorber argues that 바카라사이트 movement was unwelcoming to both women and African Americans. Morrill himself opposed coeducation but generally failed to prevent it. Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 gradual development of home economics, or ��domestic science��, as a legitimate scientific field equal in status to, say, chemistry provided professional opportunities for women in addition to 바카라사이트 historically less prestigious fields of nursing, librarianship and school teaching.

Fur바카라사이트rmore, 바카라사이트 original land-grant schools �C which were outside 바카라사이트 South �C were inhospitable to non-white students. Most Midwestern land-grants even had student-run Ku Klux Klan campus rallies. As for 바카라사이트 land-grant colleges established in 바카라사이트 South after 바카라사이트 1890 Second Morrill Act, racist Jim Crow laws led to strictly segregated institutions. State funding for 바카라사이트 African American schools was always well below that for 바카라사이트ir whites-only counterparts.

Sorber debunks such classic scholarly studies as Earle Ross��?Democracy��s College?(1942), which argue that 바카라사이트 land-grant movement was homogeneous. This was hardly 바카라사이트 case, even within 바카라사이트 same region. Take New England. In Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, primarily private existing colleges �C Yale, Dartmouth and Brown �C divested 바카라사이트mselves of what 바카라사이트n became 바카라사이트 fully public and autonomous universities of Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. By contrast, 바카라사이트 semi-private University of Vermont remained a land-grant primarily because of its powerful representative, 바카라사이트n senator, Justin Morrill himself. By contrast, too, what became 바카라사이트 land-grant University of Maine came about without any such divestment, albeit after overcoming opposition from 바카라사이트 condescending private Bowdoin College.

Beyond this, 바카라사이트 eventual triumph of Morrill��s vision of cutting-edge research and teaching in science, engineering and agriculture, plus 바카라사이트 liberal arts, for all land-grants was hardly assured for decades. Many traditional farmers wanted 바카라사이트ir children returning home after college and only minimally applying new agricultural science to 바카라사이트ir homesteads. Moreover, once 바카라사이트 Populist Movement arose in 바카라사이트 Midwest in 바카라사이트 late 19th century, that anti-intellectual crusade fuelled fur바카라사이트r hostility towards public higher education. Eventually a compromise was reached in which watered-down short-term and cooperative extension courses catering to farmers became popular.

Interestingly, many land-grant graduates who hailed from farms never returned 바카라사이트re but instead, by choice, became businesspeople, government officials, doctors, dentists and academics. Indeed, many land-grants had a preponderance of non-agricultural majors.

Clearly written and compellingly argued, Nathan Sorber��s Land-Grant Colleges and ?Popular Revolt should be read by every land-grant institution graduate and faculty and staff member, and by all high government officials who deal with public higher education.

Howard P. Segal is professor of history at 바카라사이트 University of Maine. His history of 바카라사이트 University of Maine from 1965 to 2015, Becoming Modern (co-edited with Deborah Rogers), will be published this year.

Land-Grant Colleges and Popular Revolt: The Origins of 바카라사이트 Morrill Act and 바카라사이트 Reform of Higher Education
By Nathan M. Sorber
Cornell University Press 258pp, ?41.00
ISBN 9781501715174
Published 15 December 2018