Opposing Viewpoints Assignment
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Dec 6, 2023
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Opposing Viewpoints Assignment
Paul G. Denton
HIST 502: Historiography
Dr. Vance Kincade
October 2023
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Before the Civil War, colleges were usually reserved for those citizens that could afford the high cost of tuition. Most colleges were private and expensive placing them outside the reach of the common student wishing to attend. If a student had little money to attend a college, he could hope to attend a military academy and owe service to the government, but competition for admission to these colleges was great and many eligible students never were accepted. The Morrill Land-Grant College Act of 1862 opened the world of higher education to the citizens of the United States. Laying a foundation to America’s future, this act gave the states the opportunity to open public colleges that taught other subjects besides the “classics.” Agriculture,
mechanics, military science, and art, as well as the classics, were now available to for learning. The Morrill Land-Grant College Act was the backbone to the American higher education dominance in the world today. That is the general history of the act, however over time the historiography of the act has changed. Two historians have very different ideas of the act, with only time between them. The act has changed in what the act is and has accomplished since its inception. The history on the act has changed as well, however in the end the premise is still that
the passage of this act was and still is a “good thing.” The issue is that what is being taught currently greatly deviates from what the act was intended, and what it is allowing students to study, is a different question.
Historian Robert Clothier explores the historical significance and impact of the land-grant
university system in the United States.
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Clothier argues that the land-grant tradition has played a crucial role in shaping American higher education and has influenced the nation's economic, social, and cultural development, to a degree. Clothier begins by providing a brief historical background on the land-grant movement, which emerged in the mid-19th century. The movement was culminated in the passage of the Land Grant College Act of 1862, which granted 1 Robert C. Clothier, “The Land-Grant Tradition,” Journal of Education
83, no. 5 (1916): 109–15.
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each state federal land to establish at least one university with a specific focus on agricultural and
mechanical arts education. This legislation aimed to democratize higher education and provide practical skills and knowledge to a wider population. The author emphasizes that the establishment of land-grant colleges emerged as a response to the changing needs of American society during the Industrial Revolution. The agrarian society was rapidly transitioning into a more industrialized nation, creating a demand for a skilled workforce capable of adapting to the new challenges and opportunities. The land-grant colleges were specifically designed to address this need by offering practical education that combined theoretical knowledge with applied skills.
One of the key aspects of the land-grant tradition romanticized by Clothier is the connection between the universities and local communities. He argues that the land-grant institutions were not meant to be ivory towers detached from the society, but rather cooperative partners actively engaged in addressing the issues and concerns of their communities.
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Furthermore, Clothier dabbles in the expansion of the land-grant system beyond agricultural and mechanical arts education, however, does not elaborate. He argued that this diversification of academic programs reflects the adaptability and responsiveness of the land-grant tradition to the changing educational landscape and societal needs. For the work being published in 1916, Clothier had good insight into what the act was and could morph to become. American higher education historian Roger L. Geiger, though, provides a comprehensive examination of the history and impact of land grant colleges published
in this century. Focus is on an in-depth analysis of how these institutions have influenced American higher education and the broader society over time. While celebrating the achievements of land-grant colleges, contributors in higher education, educational policy studies,
and Christian education, Geiger offers an fairly objective and less romantic depiction of the 2 Clothier, “The Land-Grant Tradition,” 111.
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founding and evolution of land-grant colleges, based on empirical investigations and attention to primary sources.
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Chronological treatment addresses scientific and social foundations, the politics of launching land-grant colleges in the 19th century, agriculture and engineering institutions in 1880-1900, land-grant universities during the period 1900-1940, and 1940 and beyond. What stands out is that Geiger also explores how land grant colleges engaged with issues of social justice and democratization of education since 1940.
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He points out that they played a pivotal role in increasing access for marginalized communities, including women and African Americans.
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Geiger also argues that by opening up the institutions to social issues, the result is the modern liberal arts land grant collages that are so lauded as successes, actually moving away from the core teaching topics the institutions were created to teach. He explores issues such as declining government funding, shifts in societal expectations, social justice issues vs. agriculture and industrial majors, and the rise of online education. The author suggests that these institutions must continue to adapt and evolve to remain relevant and continue their mission of providing practical education for the betterment of society yet not succumb to social justice issues of the current day. Geiger concludes by reflecting on the contemporary challenges facing land grant colleges.
The opposing viewpoints of these historians does have to do with the times in which they were written. The separation of time between them has allowed for a more in depth look at the act, and how the act has changed since inception. The common belief between these historians is
that the Land Grant College Act of 1862 has been a good educational facet for the country, though time has skewed the institutions from what Clothier wrote about in 1916 to what Geiger writes about in 2013. The country is changing, the colleges need to change too. This is an idea 3 Roger L Geiger, The Land-Grant Colleges, and the Reshaping of American Higher Education
(Routledge, 2017).
4 Geiger, The Land-Grant Colleges, 68.
5 Geiger, The Land-Grant Colleges, 76.
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shared by these historians. What is in opposition is just how that has come to fruition and the deviation of the core idea of land grant colleges. By moving away from the agricultural and industrial subjects and embracing social justice topics, the Land Grant colleges, which are heavily subsidized by the taxpayer, are not getting their money’s worth. By an increase in social issue studies which do not translate into a job field like the act had been created for, the result is less technical studies to enhance an industrialized nation which is what the Land Grant College act of 1862 set out to accomplish.
Bibliography
Clothier, Robert C. “The Land-Grant Tradition.” Journal of Education
83, no. 5 (1916): 109–15.
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Geiger, Roger L. The Land-Grant Colleges and the Reshaping of American Higher Education
. Routledge, 2017.
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