The Morrill Act of 1862 is an important piece of legislation that has shaped the landscape of higher education in the United States. This piece of legislation has helped to create the college experience that many students today take for granted. This blog will explore the Morrill Act of 1862 and how it has shaped American higher education in the past, present and future.

First, it is important to understand what led to the passage of this important piece of legislation. We will look at how this legislation came about as well as some of its major provisions and how they were implemented over time. Here are some facts about Morrill Act:

* It was passed in 1862 by Congress on July 2nd

* The bill was signed into law by President Lincoln on July 4th

* It provided funding for land-grant colleges throughout America

* It also provided free public schools (elementary through high school) so that children could receive an education regardless of their economic circumstances

The Morrill Act is a landmark piece of legislation that has shaped our country’s educational system for generations.”

The Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 is one of the most significant and enduring events in the history of American higher education. It has provided college educations for millions of American men and women, many of whom otherwise would not have had the opportunity to obtain a college degree. Even today, more than 145 years after its passage, it continues to shape our landscape in countless ways; in every State; and on campuses that educate 90% of all U.S. college students. In celebration of its 150th anniversary in 2012, this blog will tell the story of the Act, and explain its continuing impact on American society — both rural and urban — as well as on our landscape.

On July 2, 1862 President Lincoln signed into law “An Act donating Public Lands to the several States and Territories which may provide Colleges for the Benefit of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts”. This legislation was known as the Morrill Act after its sponsor, Representative Justin S. Morrill (R-Vermont), who introduced it in 1857 but saw it fail repeatedly due to opposition from southern legislators who feared that land-grant colleges would lead to an increase in black literacy –and therefore competition for jobs–and by northern legislators wary of government involvement with private institutions of

The Morrill Act of 1862 (12 Stat. 503) was passed by the 37th Congress of the United States on July 2, 1862. The act allowed the states to sell 30,000 acres (120 km²) of land for each of their representatives and senators in Congress to raise money for colleges that specialized in agriculture and mechanical arts.

The legislation was passed for two main purposes:

1. To promote the liberal and practical education of the industrial classes in the several pursuits and professions in life;

2. To teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts.

Senator Justin Smith Morrill introduced this legislation on December 12, 1857. The House passed it on May 15, 1860. But it did not pass the Senate until after his death on March 28, 1898. The bill was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on July 2, 1862. This law granted each state 30,000 acres (120 km2) of federal land for each member of that state’s congressional delegation for use in founding colleges focusing on agricultural and mechanical studies.

The federal government donated the land to the states for sale or lease at fair value, with income from these transactions used to fund schools focusing on agricultural and engineering practices. Between

The Morrill Act of 1862 is one of the most significant and enduring events in the history of American higher education. It arose out of the long-running American debate over the role of public (i.e., government supported) versus private colleges and universities. The act created a land grant system that provided each state with 30,000 acres of federal land for each member in its Congressional delegation. States could sell the land, or keep it and manage it.

The proceeds from the sale of these lands were to be used by states to fund the establishment of at least one college “where the leading object shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical studies, and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and mechanic arts.” These became known as land grant colleges, and eventually as state universities.

States were also given an additional 30,000 acres for every Senator and Representative they had in Congress since 1859. This second provision was a reward for states that had remained loyal to the Union during the Civil War, while states that had seceded lost their lands.

The Morrill Act marked a major shift in American higher education. Before this legislation there was no system of public colleges or universities in America; all institutions were either independent private

As the Civil War raged in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the Morrill Act. Named for Senator Justin Smith Morrill of Vermont, the bill granted each state 30,000 acres of federally controlled land for each senator and representative in Congress. The purpose of these grants was to establish colleges in the states’ agricultural and mechanical arts.

As a result of this legislation, more than 70 land-grant institutions have been established throughout the United States, including the University of Georgia in 1866. The first dean at UGA was Alfred Holt Stone, who had been on the faculty at Harvard University. He is pictured here with a group of students and faculty members.

UGA’s first classes were held on January 6, 1868, in what is now known as New College (pictured above), which was built by slaves with bricks made from Georgia clay and lumber cut from Georgia pine trees.

In 1862, the United States was at war. The Civil War had been raging for a year, and few expected it to end soon. At this precarious time, Congress passed an act “to promote the progress of science and useful arts.”[1] This brief statement would have a profound impact on American higher education.

The Act of 1862 states:

* “An Act donating Public Lands to the several States and Territories which may provide Colleges for the benefit of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts”

* “Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there be granted to the several States, for the purposes hereinafter mentioned, an amount of public land, to be apportioned to each State a quantity equal to thirty thousand acres for each Senator and Representative in Congress to which the States are respectively entitled by the apportionment under the census of eighteen hundred and sixty, to be selected by the Legislature from lands within such State.”

The Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on July 2nd, 1862.