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American Higher Education Under The Influence Of The Civil War

Posted on:2019-03-02Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:A W TuFull Text:PDF
GTID:2417330548999904Subject:History of education
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
In 1861,American Civil War broke out,which safeguarded the unity of the United Nations of America.As a result,a stable political environment was provided.The United States gradually transformed from an agrarian country to an industrial country.Because of resignation of senators representing the interests of slave owners in the south,the Morrill Act favoring the education of American agriculture and mechanical engineering was passed.Under the Morrill act,new types of higher education institutions-the Land Grant colleges were established in the United States of America.Different from traditional higher education institutions,which mainly focused on theology,law and medicine,Land Grant Colleges aimed at fostering talents of agriculture and mechanical engineering.Absorbing from the experience in the Civil War,on-campus military education was introduced and co-education was practiced.The American Agriculture Societies that were promoting agricultural development and raising agriculture and farmers' social status had seized upon the opportunity of emerging Land Grant Colleges in the United States after the Civil War to introduce agricultural education into higher education.To avoid the money funded by the Morrill act being used for classical courses by traditional colleges and universities,some Land Grant Colleges chose to run independent schools instead of opening agriculture courses at existing universities.In order to maintain the quality of higher education while developing agricultural education,agricultural courses provided by the Land Grant Colleges were only opened to student at third grade and above at the beginning.With the development of agricultural education,junior or even preparatory students were allowed to take agricultural courses.The Civil War cleared the way for the industrialization of the United States,and the mechanical engineering education at the higher education level began to be valued and payed attention to.Similar to agricultural education,the Land Grant Colleges endeavored to balance between theoretical knowledge and practical operation skills,both required by the disciplines.Because of limited funds,Land Grant College offered uneven education in these two disciplines.The development of mechanical engineering education varied in different regions depending on the need of local industries.And,the more a region relying on industries to develop its economy,the better its mechanical engineering education was developed.In order to develop the military education,the government formulated some policies after the Morrill Act to encourage the development of military education in the Land Grant College.However,the severe shortage of military teachers and the incomplete institutional system made it difficult for Land Grant Colleges to form systematic military education at this period.The military uniform charged by the colleges also added financial burden for students.Women's military training was sometimes void.According to the regulations in the Morrill Act,Land Grant Colleges adopted co-education,allowing female students to enter the Land Grant Colleges to receive education together with the male students.In Land Grant Colleges,female students could participate in housekeeping,art and physical education courses.But at the same time,with the influence of social norms,the school's administrators continued to believe that women needed to be protected and restrained then.As a new type of higher education institution after the Civil War,Land Grant Colleges had enriched the curriculums of higher education in the United States,promoted popularization and democratization of higher education,and established the function of higher education as a service for social demand.
Keywords/Search Tags:American Civil War, Land Grant Colleges, Agricultural Education, Mechanical Engineering Education, Military Education
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