Morrill Land-Grant Acts

The Morrill Act ( Eng.: Morrill Land- Grant acts ) are laws of the United States, which ensured that agricultural colleges were founded. These include the Morrill Act of 1862 (USC Title 7, § 301 and following ), and the Morrill Act of 1890 ( the Agricultural College Act of 1890 (U.S. Statute 26 § 417, Title 7 USC § 321 et seq ) )

Adoption of the original bill

It already existed 20 years before the first draft of the law a political movement that called for the establishment of colleges for agriculture. The movement was led by Professor Jonathan Baldwin Turner of Illinois College. On 8 February 1853, the legislature of Illinois passed a resolution, which was drafted by Turner, which called on the Illinois congressional delegation to make a land-grant law that should finance a system of technical colleges; one in each state. Senator Lyman Trumbull of Illinois was of the opinion that this is best a congressman should introduce from an eastern state. Therefore, the bill was two months later suggested by Justin Smith Morrill of Vermont.

In contrast to the Turner plan that each state would have an equal grant, hung the size of the grant from under the Morrill Act on the number of senators and congressmen of the state. Thus the eastern states were at an advantage because of their larger populations.

The Morrill Act was proposed in 1857 for the first time, and 1859 is passed by Congress. However, it was prevented by President James Buchanan by veto. 1861 Morrill again brought the law before the Congress, with the modification that the proposed schools in addition to technology and agriculture should also teach military tactics. Due to the resignations of many countries which do not support the plan, this modified Morrill bill was passed and signed by President Abraham Lincoln on July 2, 1862.

Land-grant universities

The aim of the land-grant colleges was:

... Without excluding other scientific and classical studies, and including military tactics, such subjects relating to agriculture and the mechanical Arts & Culture, teach, and indeed in such a way as dictated by the legislatures of the States, so the liberal and practical education of the working classes 'll gefördet in the various pursuits and professions of life.

By law, any eligible State got 30,000 Acre State, either within or outside its borders, for each congressman, who had been the state at the time of the 1860 census. This country, or the proceeds from its sale should be used to support and finance these schools. According to the law, no state, who was in rebellion against the government of the United States, will benefit from this law. This provision was related to the secession of many Southern states from the federal government and the American Civil War. After the war, the law of 1862 but was extended to the former Konföderationstaaten; it ultimately covered every state and territory, also formed after 1862. Originated the Federal Territory in a State not to comply with the grant to the State a so-called " Scrip " is assigned, which gave him the right to choose state to other states to fund schools. New York, for example, examined carefully valuable timber land in Wisconsin off to Cornell University to begründen.p.9 Although New York received only a tenth of the 1862er grant, the administration brought this scrip one-third of the total grant revenue all Staaten.p. 10 Taken together, distributed the 1862 Morrill Act 70,000 km ² of land, which in the sale $ 7.55 million einbrachte.p.8

Iowa accepted on September 11, 1862 as the first state to the conditions of the law. Thus, the funds were created to the new State Agricultural College and Model Farm (later known as Iowa State University of Science and Technology ) to set up.

With few exceptions ( such as Cornell University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology), almost all land -grant schools are public. ( Although the Cornell University is private, it leads some Statutory schools that meet their public mission over New York. )

In order to retain their status as land-grant schools, certain programs must be offered by the schools. Among these are agriculture, engineering and Reserve Officer Training Corps.

Spread

A second Morrill Act of 1890 was aimed at the former Confederate States. This law required by each state to prove that the breed either no admission criterion was or a separate land-grant school was built for colored people. Among the 70 colleges and universities that emerged ultimately by the Morrill laws, many Historic African American colleges and universities. Although the law of 1890 then assigned money instead of land, had colleges that were established under, the same legal status as those of 1862: they are therefore to describe all under the term " land-grant school."

Later, colleges such as the University of the District of Columbia were established for the North American Indians. These so-called " 1994 land- grant colleges " were established by Congress with money instead of land.

Similar to the land -grant colleges to specialize in agriculture and technology, were by Congress later sea grant colleges ( for Water Research, 1966), urban grant colleges ( for Urban Research, 1985), space grant colleges ( for Space Research, 1988), and sun grant colleges (sustainable energy research, 2003) financed.

Agricultural research stations and cooperative support services

Beginning in 1887, the Congress also funded agricultural research stations and different categories of agricultural and veterinary research " under the direction " of the agricultural schools. The Congress later recognized the need, the knowledge that had been gained in the agricultural schools to give to farmers and landlords on. The Smith - Lever Act of 1914 ensured that federal funds for cooperative support services were paid so that representatives of the agricultural schools could be sent in almost every county. In some states, the funding for the schools in accordance with these laws exceed the current income of the initial grants. The USDA budget in fiscal year 2006, $ 1,033 billion for research and cooperative support services available throughout the country. For this purpose, the then President Bush proposed a total of $ 1,035 billion for the fiscal year 2008.