Land-Grant Universities Created During the War

From the July 7, 2012, Ithaca (NY) Journal "Smithsonian marks creation of Cornell, land-grant college" by Brett Zongker, AP.

In the middle of the Civil War, 150 years ago, Congress passed legislation that transformed higher education.  This week in 1862, the Morrill Act was signed which established the land-grant universities to expand college education to the working class people.

It was sponsored by Vermont Representative Justin Morrill. 

This created Cornell University, MIT, University of Maryland, University of Missouri and others.  This was expanded in 1890 to include black colleges and in 1994, to include Native-American ones.

This was quite a concept, the thought of ordinary people going to college.

Dear Alma Mater.  --Old Secesh