Land grant universities are those that have been designated land by the State in the construction of their various colleges or Universities. The first grant was signed by the United States president, Abraham Lincoln, to provide land for constructing learning institutions. There was a growing need to educate the masses and provide them with the necessary skills to execute different tasks. Justin Morrill signed the first Land grant in July as an act of good faith in helping expand the higher education system. Furthermore, Morrill had not received higher education yet had the heart of helping others acquire an education. The Act was signed in the year 1862, acting as a stepping stone for more support from the government and other individuals in higher education construction.
In the Morril Act, the government played an instrumental role in its engagement in higher education development. The grants helped a lot of institutions to be established, thus increasing the number of graduates. Initially, the State was responsible for the colleges and Universities. The colleges and Universities were left to operate independently, which saw a rise in the stiff competition. The stiff competition of the Colleges and Universities led to the enhancement of the curriculum programs to increase enrollment.
Nonetheless, most of the colleges were established on churches, and even spaces rented on individual property. Therefore, the government involvement in establishing a more sustainable location conducive to allowing learning greatly benefited the higher education system. Furthermore, more of the women and African American colleges established needed support to thrive. The Act acted as a way for the government to intervene for its people and help them attain education.
One of the Act’s significance is where the government intent on educating the state senator and congress lend to such donations of over 3000 Acres of land. Nonetheless, the State kept the right over the land in the future if it wanted to sell the land, establish other investments, or donate the land to other entities. Therefore, the colleges could use the land at the stipulated time in growing themselves and not reselling the property given as a grant.
The grant came with various demands that the states could benefit from the grants to establish colleges offering basic disciplines such as agriculture and mechanical arts. Apart from these disciplines, the colleges were mandated to expand their scope into helping other people expand on their knowledge in other areas.
The subjects taught in the higher education system before the Morrell act was art-based programs. Hence, the government demands on the colleges to offer agriculture and art-based programs, so an improvement in the curriculum system. The classical studies were also offered to public servants and lawyers. Hence, with the expansion of the curriculum system. The colleges were bound to expand their scope as diverse individuals enrolled with their different needs. Therefore, the 1860 Morrell land grant allowed universities and colleges to expand their scope and reach more people through enrollments. Furthermore, education was mostly regarded as a luxury that only the reach could afford and increase their knowledge. Nonetheless, with the land grants, more colleges were bound to open up in the different states; therefore, providing other individuals the opportunity to access education at an affordable rate.
The Act provided a broader scope in the educational system; previously, individuals needed to know Greek and Latin, limiting the number of people accessing higher education. Nonetheless, with the incorporation of agriculture and other essential elementary learning, individuals were no longer required to study the two languages. Furthermore, the two languages were considered dead languages, which had no significance to the fast-growing economies and science. Thus, the need to have a broader scope in the educational system as mechanical art and agriculture needed to be developed through learning and experimentation in higher educational institutions.
The Engineering field benefited from the land grant as the graduates increased from 300 in 1866 to more than 866 in the 1890s. Furthermore, the colleges offering the course increased from 6 in 1866 to 21 in 1890. America improved in mechanical and science, thus placing its technological advancement ahead of the other countries due to this move. America was also able to be a powerhouse in the provision of Engineering courses; hence, many students in the continent and the world could access education in the country. The exchange of ideas and interaction led to tremendous discoveries and innovations as the population began to be enlightened and informed through the education system.
Finally, in the agricultural sector, efficient farming methods were adapted, and the fields began blooming with the application of these methods and other discoveries. The land grant allowed colleges to share most of their resources with the farmers; for Example, the unutilized land was put into farming in the areas that were yet to be developed. The colleges also provided a platform where agricultural practices could be enhanced. Therefore, the land grant of 1860 was very instrumental in developing the skills of individuals in agriculture, mechanical field. Hence, the advancement of knowledge in the field placed the country at a competitive advantage in terms of knowledge and science accumulated over time.