Jack Payne, UF Senior Vice
President
for Agriculture and Natural Resources
On July 2, 1862, the Civil War had
been raging for more than a year. What is now known as the National Mall was a
muddy, makeshift campground for Union troops and a holding area for cattle. The
Washington Monument wasn’t finished yet, so it became known as the
"Washington Beef Depot.” Confederate troops were close to the Capitol.
Times were tough.
One hundred fifty years later, I stood at a podium on the National Mall, speaking at the opening ceremony of the
Sesquicentennial of the Morrill Act. It was difficult to imagine the gloomy scene so many years earlier against the colorful backdrop of people glued to smartphones, tented displays, food vendors and the Washington Monument. It struck me that during one of America’s darkest times, the 37th Congress and President Abraham Lincoln continued working on legislation that would revolutionize American education. In fact, the logs show that July 2, 1862, was a busy day for President Lincoln: he had to inform General George B. McClellan that he wasn’t able to send him more troops; he ruled that former slaves couldn’t be allowed to starve; and he signed the Morrill Act.
One hundred fifty years later, I stood at a podium on the National Mall, speaking at the opening ceremony of the
Sesquicentennial of the Morrill Act. It was difficult to imagine the gloomy scene so many years earlier against the colorful backdrop of people glued to smartphones, tented displays, food vendors and the Washington Monument. It struck me that during one of America’s darkest times, the 37th Congress and President Abraham Lincoln continued working on legislation that would revolutionize American education. In fact, the logs show that July 2, 1862, was a busy day for President Lincoln: he had to inform General George B. McClellan that he wasn’t able to send him more troops; he ruled that former slaves couldn’t be allowed to starve; and he signed the Morrill Act.
Upon signing the Morrill Act,
President Lincoln stated, “The land-grant university system is being built on
behalf of the people, who have invested in these public universities their
hopes, their support, and their confidence.” Lincoln
and the act’s author, Justin Smith Morrill, both undereducated, even by the
standards of their day, understood that education was the key to
America’s economic development. And even though there were monumental and
immediate threats to the nation, they had the courage to act upon their vision
for the country’s future.
As it turned out, their vision for
equal opportunity and educating the masses has been the driving force in our
prosperity for the last 150 years. Let’s hope our current leaders will have the
courage to continue that legacy. As Frederick Douglass advised back in
Morrill’s day: “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken
men.”
Learn more about UF's land-grant anniversary events:
UF to celebrate land-grant university system’s 150th anniversary with outreach, events
| The University of Florida is proud to be a land grant university that supports the local County Extension offices. |
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