125th Anniversary of the Second Morrill Act
Establishing the 1890 Land-Grant
Universities
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Higher education was modeled after European
institutions:
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Educate the male “leisure class”
Educate government and religious leaders
Educate members of the “professions”
Offered the classical and professional curricula
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Pioneers for Public
Higher Education
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Jonathan Baldwin
Turner – missionary,
abolitionist
Justin Smith Morrill,
also an abolitionist
and senator from
Vermont
Opened the doors of
higher education to
the American People!
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Senator from Vermont
– 43 years
Abolitionist
Not college educated
Sponsored two bills
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1810-1898
1862 Morrill Act
1890 Morrill Act
Promoted agriculture,
military sciences and
the mechanic arts.
YESTERDAY
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Mechanic Arts
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Military Science
Agriculture
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Engineering, textiles,
architecture, ceramics,
typing, printing, shopwork
Horticulture, forestry,
animal & poultry
husbandry, veterinary
medicine
Home Economics
TODAY
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Engineering
Technology
ROTC
Agriculture
Family & Consumer
Sciences
Life Sciences
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A protest against the dominance of the classics
in higher education
A desire to develop college-level instruction
relating to practical realities of an agricultural
and industrial society
An attempt to offer to those belonging to the
industrial classes preparation for the
“professions of life”
Provided “colleges accessible to all but
especially the sons of toil”
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First introduced in 1859 – vetoed by President
Buchanan
In 1861 bill introduced granting 30,000 acres to
each state to raise funds to build colleges
1862 First Morrill Act signed by President Lincoln
on July 2nd
1862 – Emancipation Proclamation issued –
effective January 1, 1863
1865 – 13th Amendment abolished slavery; U.S.
included 4 million hard working but primarily
illiterate freed slaves
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Segregation in the
South prohibited
black people from
attending college
Southern states could
establish one college
for blacks and one for
whites
The funds to support
the schools would be
divided equally
CSU
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1862 land-grant institutions in all of the states
17 states that would not admit ‘colored students’
In 1890, institutions were established to provide
access to black students - the 1890 land-grant
colleges and universities
Because of its strong history relating to agricultural
education, Tuskegee Institute (a private black
college) was included among the 1890s
Recognize the issues and concerns of underserved
communities and make their issues a priority
Central State University received 1890 land-grant
status under the 2014 Farm Bill
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To meet the requirements of the 2nd Morrill
Act, southern states could:
Establish new black land-grant colleges
 Designate an existing private college for blacks as
land-grant
 Name an existing state-supported black institution
as a land-grant
 Take over a private black institution as a state
college
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Alabama Agricultural &
Mechanical University - 1875
Alcorn State University - 1871
Central State University – 1891 (2014 Farm Bill)
Delaware State University - 1891
Florida Agricultural and
Mechanical University - 1887
Fort Valley State University - 1895
Kentucky State University - 1886
Langston University - 1897
Lincoln University - 1854
North Carolina Agricultural
&Technical State University 1891
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Prairie View Agricultural &
Mechanical University - 1876
South Carolina State University 1896
Southern University and
Agricultural and Mechanical
College - 1880
Tennessee State University - 1912
Tuskegee University - 1881
University of Arkansas Pine Bluff 1873
University of Maryland Eastern
Shore - 1886
Virginia State University - 1882
West Virginia State University 1891
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All land-grant universities are funded by the
federal government for programs in the food and
agricultural sciences
All 103 land-grant universities are organized into
units within APLU
All are stakeholders and partners with USDA
(mostly because of formula funding)
They all have an Extension service with a tripartite
mission (instruction, research, Extension)
All are affiliated with the Department of Defense
to support ROTC programs
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Land-grant universities have a mission to help
solve the problems and concerns plaguing
communities and to share research-based
information in a format that is easily
understood by even the common man.
These land-grant universities have a mission to
conduct research and to extend that knowledge
to the community.
Cooperative Extension is the outreach
component at each land-grant university
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Food & Agricultural Sciences
Engineering & Technology
Arts & Humanities
Family & Consumer Sciences
Business & Economics
Health Sciences
Life Sciences
Social Sciences
Education
Physical Sciences
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Improved nutrition and health, emphasis on
obesity
Economically competitive and sustainable smallscale agricultural systems
Crop diversity and marketing strategies for
farmers
Food safety and improved nutritional quality
Bio-based energy production
Value-added plant and animal products
Natural resource management and sustainability
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Alternative enterprises and new crops
Financial and Risk Management
Sustainable Agriculture
Rural Business and Community Development
Nutrition and Health
Food Safety
Parenting Education
Family Financial Management
Youth Development
Water Quality
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“We assume greater
responsibility for
economic development
in the environment in
which our institutions
function - in terms of
poverty,
unemployment, youthat-risk, illiteracy, and
the absence of economic
opportunities”
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Hampton University served as Virginia’s landgrant institution for more than 45 years
The first black land-grant college was Alcorn
University.
The Nelson Amendment added home
economics as a supported instructional
program at the 1890s
Southern University is the only HBCU and
University System in the nation
Oprah Winfrey graduated from Tennessee
State University
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South Carolina State University is the only
HBCU to be ranked as an over-performing
college in the US
Florida A&M University is the first HBCU to
become a member of the Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Tuskegee University is the only HBCU with a
fully accredited college of Veterinary Medicine
that offers the doctoral degree
Lincoln University is the first degree granting
HBCU in the US
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Total student enrollment of 102,511, 70% of
which is African American
7,308 of their undergraduates and graduates
major in the food and agricultural sciences
51.6% of all degrees awarded to African
Americans in Agriculture are from the 1890s
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On average, 1890s graduate 16,000 students per
year
Three of the campuses enroll between 11,000 13,500 students annually; two enroll 8500
students
Most enroll 3000 – 5000 students
Many are first- generation college students
Average faculty-student ratio is 1:20
Class of 1894
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1862 – First Morrill Act
1890 – Second Morrill Act for Black Land-Grant
Institutions
1967 - Washington, DC awarded land-grant status
1972 – Guam, Micronesia, American Samoa,
Northern Marianas, and the Virgin Islands
awarded land-grant status
1994 - Tribal Colleges Land Grant Institutions
established
2014 – Central State University awarded 1890 landgrant status
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North Carolina A&T State University proudly
embodies its land-grant heritage, established
by the Second Morrill Act of 1890, to educate
underserved students in the agricultural,
technological, and human sciences fields.
Today, its commitment to individuals and
communities incorporates a host of innovative
educational opportunities, scientific research,
and carefully developed extension programs
that generate new knowledge and address
solutions to current local and global challenges.
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A&T Four: Joseph
McNeil, Franklin
McCain, Ezell Blair, Jr.
(later known as Jibreel
Khazan), and David
Richmond
Alma Adams
Alvin Austin Attles, Jr.
Elvin Lamont Bethea
Dwaine Board
Willie Deese
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Lou Donaldson
Joe Louis Dudley, Sr.
Clara Adams-Ender
Henry E. Frye
Taraji P. Henson
Calvin Irvin
Jesse L. Jackson, Sr.
Ronald McNair
Maceo Parker
The list continues…
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Visit
http://morrill1890.ag.ncat.edu/?page_id=125
for more information about the celebration.
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http://www.aplu.org/document.doc?id=780
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/about/offices/le
gis/secondmorrill.html
http://www.nal.usda.gov/morrillhttp://memory.loc.gov/cgibin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=012/llsl012.
db&recNum=534
www.1890universities.org
1890 Land-Grant Institutions