Antebellum Colleges
Emergent Nation Era
1790
1869
3.9 M
1,050
141
11
38 M
61,000
5,450
240
Average Enrollment/College
95
240
Number of degrees
Conferred
240
9,200
US Population
Students in HE
HE Faculty
Number of Colleges
Nation has three regions
North: Urban; early industrialization; manufacturing;
trade; political influence; wealth
South: Agrarian; export cotton/tobacco; anti-intellectual;
little social mobility; wealth tied to slaves and land (25%
owned slaves, less than 10% owned 20, minimum needed
to run plantation) Approx 2.5% of population controls
region.
West: W of Mississippi River
--generally opposed to slavery; ties were to north for trade
Antebellum Colleges










England: 23 million population, 4 colleges
Ohio: 3 million population, 37 colleges
Female Seminaries increasing
Not “true colleges”-very low admissions standards, little preparatory training
Education of Blacks
1st degree 1826, 27 before Civil War
Avery College (PA) – first HBCU (Historically Black Colleges & Universities)
Miner Academy (DC)-1851
1856 - Wilberforce (OH): oldest private Black University in U.S
1854 – Lincoln (PA): Langston Hughes and Thurgood Marshall alumni
During the first one hundred years of its existence, Lincoln graduated 20%
percent of Black physicians and more than 10 % of Black attorneys in the US
Antebellum Colleges








Blacks at University of Virginia
1821-University hires 32 slaves to level campus land, slave owners paid $60 per
slave per year
1828 faculty senate “resolved that the President be informed that the faculty
disapproves of free Negroes being located w/in the university.”
1832 University purchases a slave, Lewis Commodore, for $580 to be a janitor
1842: Faculty senate approves 13 duties for student owned slaves: bring water,
clean rooms, shine shoes, provide firewood, etc.
1955 Blacks permitted to enroll (Wow, this was after my folks were born, not that
long ago)
1959: Robert Bland first to graduate –Currently Dept. Manager for Missiles and
Launching Systems for the Navy in CA
2007 Bill before VA legislature to apologize for slavery
Antebellum Colleges





Jacksonian democrats
Call for expansion of Higher Ed, excluding women, Blacks, Native Americans,
and other minorities.
Opposition to Education for all: Raleigh NC newspaper editorial (1829) –
“…children should pass their days in the cotton patch, or at the plow, or in the
cornfield, instead of being mewed up in a school house, where they learn
nothing…I hope you do not conceive of it at necessary that everyone should be
able to read, write and cipher…”
Beginning of the growth of wealth for some and the American myth of the self
made man; education not necessary
Wealth resulted in symbol of achievement and distrust of privilege and social
inequity
Antebellum Colleges







Literary Societies
Societies-challenged the curriculum
in educational importance
Capstone Moral PhilosophyAmherst “Character is of more
consequence than intellect”
Students formed literary societies to
change the moral philosophy
Invite speakers, produce journals,
deal w/controversial topics
Yale (1753)-literary club: spread
ideas, debates, competitions,
discuss relevant topics
Princeton – “Ought freedom of
thought be granted to all men?”









Fraternities/Secret Organizations
Intent-bring together small groups to
fill gaps from removal of family and
home community
Beginnings in 1820s
Union-Kappa Alpha (1825)
1840- Spread throughout New
England and then into Ohio and
Michigan
High level of loyalty created
Led to the decline of literary
societies
Built better library collections,
expanded sciences, improve course
offerings
Escape dreary days of collegesmoking, drinking, etc.
Antebellum Colleges






Athletics
1787 – Princeton forbade students to play hockey on the grounds that it is
“…unbecoming of gentleman and scholars, and is attended with great danger to
the health.”
1820 – Rensselaer official position regarding athletics “such exercise as
running, jumping, climbing, scuffling, and the like are calculated to detract from
the dignity of deportment which becomes a man of science.”
1826-Outdoor gymnasium movement from Europe arrived at Harvard
1852 – 1st intercollegiate competition held b/w Harvard and Yale: boating
1859 – Amherst and Williams played the first intercollegiate baseball game
Beginning of student cultures
Campus life was tough/violent
Collegians: Sports/frats/”Hail fellow, well met”; cheating
common; studied only to stay in school
Outsiders: Ministers to be; supported faculty while
collegians fought faculty
Rebels: Interests in politics; literary society members
Antebellum Colleges

Student Life/Discipline

Elaborate codification of rules and regulations/ Why?





1865 Harvard – 8 pages of fine print; prohibited from leaving campus w/o
permission on Sunday, rooms subject to faculty inspection at any time-even off
campus!!! WTH (What the he*l) In loco parentis
Yale – loyalty oath, active disbelief in the bible was a campus crime\
Union 1802- 11 chapters in rule book; prohibited behaviors included: swearing,
drunkenness, striking instructors, card playing
Princeton 1885: “That should any students continue to have their washing done
in town as heretofore, it must be done under the supervision of the college
office.”
Faculty carried the responsibility of overseeing discipline- a job/chore that was
often not enforced due to their hesitation with enforcement.
Antebellum Colleges









Faculty
Students an important element in the power structure of the institution
Early faculty were clergy
Faculty taught a single subject, tutors taught entry level subjects in which the
college did not have professors
Harvard was in existence for 85 years before first full time faculty member; Yale50 years; Princeton-20 years
Union College (1795-1884): 130 faculty members, 55 clergy
Princeton (1868): 7 of 10 clergy
Changing times and changing status of faculty/teacher/clergy
Salary: 1805-Dartmouth $600, 1865-Denison $600
Antebellum Colleges








Presidents
Only mature learned man available to represent college
Seldom leave Campus
Tradition of strong presidents-change from England
Included house, may have shared it w/students
Serve as a local minister, perhaps a farmer
Role as educator-taught moral philosophy as senior capstone
Compensation-contracted but usually not paid
Columbia-$1,000 in 1787, $3000 in 1857
Rutgers $1,700 in 1810 (amount voted to pay but actually paid $771.86 over 2
years)
Harvard $2,235 in 1840
Antebellum Colleges



Presidents Cont.
University of TN 1835 job description for president
1. “…general superintendence of the interests and reputation of the University,
which he is bound to promote and maintain by every exertion of his power. 2. He
is, ex officio, President of the Board of Trustees and of the faculty when present
w/them and also the administrator of their decisions in cases of discipline 3. He
has a right to be present at the recitation of any class in the institution 4. He will
take such branches of instruction into his own hands as he may judge
necessary and expedient 5. All religious exercises and studies of the university
are committed to his direction, and 6. He is to preside at examinations and
commencements and confer all degrees.”
Eleazar Wheelock @ Dartmouth – assisted in building college buildings,
including his home, cleared 70 acres of land, planted corn and wheat, governed
college, taught courses, preached on Sundays and prayed for a new job!!
1868 Martin, president University of Rochester:
No class passes through my hands which does not contain
more or less young men who are on the eve of ruin from
wayward natures, bad habits, or hereditary tendencies of evil.
These men must be watched, borne with, and if possible,
saved to the world and their families…This work must be
done by the president. Those private and confidential
reproofs, suggestions, and admonitions which do so much to
form manners and character, must be attended to by the
president”
Stevens at Amherst: We have no faith in the capabilities of
mere intellectual training….character is of more consequence
than intellect.
Antebellum Colleges





Governing Boards
Trustees drawn from the privileged class
Boards delegated much authority to the President and educational matters were
left to the faculty but b/c the board retained control over budget, priorities, and
planning
Wayland @ Brown: “How can colleges prosper directed by men, very good men
to be sure, but who know about every other thing except about education. The
man who first devised the present mode of governing colleges in this country
has done us more injury than Benedict Arnold.”
Clergy beginning to leave; Harvard bylaw requiring clergy on Board repealed
1851
Antebellum Colleges








Financing the Colleges
Harvard and Yale: Early support from benefactors
1795- Rhode Island College becomes Brown for $5,000.00
America had more corn than cash – so colleges often got produce
instead of money
State Aid
1814-1823: Harvard receives $10,000 per year
1893-1921 NH give Dartmouth $200,000
Wayland at Brown: We cannot induce mean to pursue college unless
we offer it below cost or give it away.
Perpetual scholarships: sell a tuition scholarship a reduced rate in
advance
Save money on faculty salaries: Martyrdom on the alter of Christian
learning….$600.00 U of GA, 1815; Hanover $335.00 1855