The Progress of Education
llou .sonic of our institutions of higher edu¬
cation obtained their start, and also the im¬
petus that was given to a general system of
education in the state.
AS early as 1736 Governor John-
ston bewailed the fact that
/
\ nothing had been done in
North Carolina to furnish youth
with the “least tincture of educa¬
tion," but nothing was done until
1764 when an act was passed erect¬
ing an academy at Newbern. Com¬
menting on conditions in 1775,
historian Martin said: "Literature
was hardly known, and the only
schools were at Newbern and
Edenton."
Shortly before the Revolution,
the people of Mecklenburg sought
to secure the royal assent to a
charter establishing an institution
of learning, but failing in this they
established such an institution in
1777 and colled it Liberty Hall.
Its founders were John McNitt
Alexander. Dr. Ephraim Brevard,
and others who had led in the
adoption of the famous Resolves
of May 20. 1775. But the havoc
of the Revolution ended its brief
career, and the troops of Lord
Cornwallis camped upon its prem¬
ises.
As early as 1767 Rev. David
Caldwell, a Princeton graduate,
founded a school in Guilford. It
was but a log cabin, yet in it were
trained many of the leading minis¬
ters, lawyers, doctors, and states¬
men of our State.
University of North Carolina
When our State Constitution
was adopted at Halifax in 1776,
it declared that "all useful learn¬
ing should be promoted in one or
more universities." Pursuant to
this mandate of the fundamental
law, the University of North Caro¬
lina was chartered in 1789 with
Samuel Johnston and others as
trustees. In 1792 the present site
at Chapel Hill was selected on
a tract of 1,180 acres donated for
that purpose. In October 1793 the
corner stone was laid by General
William R. Davie, acting in his
capacity as Grand Master of Ma¬
sons. lie had introduced in the
legislature the act establishing the
University, had served on the com¬
mittee to select the site, and served
the infant institution in other im¬
portant ways.
THE STATE. February 9. 1946
И»/
T. L. MADISON
In 1795 the trustees selected
Rev. David Kerr as president.
Hinton James of Wilmington be¬
came the first student when its
doors were opened on February
13. 1795. Mr. Kerr served but a
short time, moving to Lumberton
where he studied law. and going
thence to Mississippi where he be¬
came United States Marshal and
at a later date a federal judge. He
was succeeded in the presidency
by C. W. Harris of Cabarrus, who
also had a short incumbency, being
followed by the great Joseph Cald¬
well who presided over its desti¬
nies for more than forty years.
Wake Forest
Wake Forest Institute was estab¬
lished as a manual labor school
in 1834, under the presidency of
Dr. Samuel Waitt. In 1838 the
manual labor plan was abandoned
and a charter for Wake Forest Col¬
lege was secured from an unwill¬
ing legislature. It was a Baptist
institution, but that sect were by
no means agreed concerning it.
Some felt that such an institution
would establish a "privileged
class." others felt that a school so
chartered would be a dangerous
mixing of church and state. The
fight over the charter waxed so
warm that in the Senate the vote
was a tie. broken in favor of the
charter by the vote of its Speaker.
William D. Moseley, who afterward
became Governor of Florida.
Davidson
Davidson College, named in hon¬
or of General William Davidson,
killed during the Revolution, was
opened in March 1837. with Rev.
R. H. Morrison as president. As
was the case with Wake Forest.
Davidson was at first operated on
the manual labor plan, but this
was given up after four years
trial. Under the Davidson charter
no one could serve as a trustee or
upon its faculty unless he be a
member of the Presbyterian
church. They evidently believed
in teaching Philosophy at David¬
son. as of the four faculty mem¬
bers listed by historian Wheeler in
1851. three taught some branch
of Philosophy. President William¬
son taught Mental Philosophy;
Professor Johnson taught Natural
Philosophy, and Professor Rock¬
well just plain Philosophy!
The Beginning of Duke
The beginnings of Duke Uni¬
versity were even more modest.
In 1839 Brantley York opened a
subscription school in Randolph
County, in a small house having
a puncheon floor and a dirt chim¬
ney. At the close of his first ses¬
sion. becoming ambitious, he built
a log house thirty by twenty feet,
and called it Union Institute. It
received a charter in 1841. York
was succeeded by the famed Dr.
Braxton Craven, and in 1851 the
name was changed to Normal Col¬
lege. In 1859 the normal feature
was dropped, and the school was
converted into a college of liberal
arts, the name being again changed
to Trinity College. The institution
was moved from Randolph County
to Durham at the instance of its
benefactor, Washington Duke, but
retained its name of Trinity. This
name it kept until the mighty
munificence of James B. Duke
resulted in the formation of Duke
Universtiy.
The cause of higher education
for women also received considera¬
tion. the Moravians leading the
way with Salem Academy in 1803.
Among other schools for women
may be noted: Greensboro Female
College, founded by the Methodists
in 1836; Floral College by the
Presbyterians in 1840; St. Mary’s
by the Episcopalians in 1842:
Chowan Institute by the Baptists
in 1848; Oxford Female College
by the Baptists in 1851; Statesville
Female College by the Presby¬
terians in 1857; Davenport Female
College by the Methodists in 1858.
There was a crying need for
lower education also, for it is of
record that in 1850 one person out
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