Historically Black Land-Grant Institutions-the First 100 Years

The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 was the "light at the end of the tunnel" leading to educational insti- tutions for Negroes in the Southern States. It raised the hopes and aspira- tions of the Negro and aroused the curiosity, interest, and sympathy of the Nation for the uplift of some 400,000 citizens who were former slaves.

Early Days In the years immediately following the Emancipation Proclamation, three main forces were responsible for the creation and growth of Negro institu- tions that were either founded as such or later became land-grant institutions under the Second Morrill Act of 1890. These three forces were the Negroes themselves, religious organizations, and State legislatures. The Negro citizens of the South played a major role in the founding of educational institutions accessible to them. Lincoln University in Jefferson H$w farmers ol America call show (circa 1935). City, MO, is a product of those enlisted men and officers of the 62nd and 65th institutions. The remaining 1890 a second land-grant institution acces- Missouri Colored Volunteers who institutions were established by State sible to Negroes. Only Mississippi took dreamed of a school for colored children or territorial legislatures. advantage of this provision and estab- and provided funds for its founding. In their early years, these institu- lished in 1871 Other examples of Negro involvement tions had two things in common: They for Negroes and designated it as a include the founding of what is now were all designated as schools for "land-grant" school. Fort Valley State College, colored people, and they were all char- In , 1862 land-grant funds A&M University, and North Carolina tered as normal schools for the training were extended to the Negro by way of A&T University. A coalition of ex-slaves of colored teachers, because there was a Hampton University, a private insti- and former slave masters led to the shortage of trained teachers to expand tution. Several other institutions for chartering of by educational opportunities for colored Negroes received 1862 land-grant the State of Alabama. children. funds, but they were not designated as The University of Eastern land-grant schools before 1890. Shore, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church, stands as a memorial The Morrill Act of 1862 to the influence of religious organiza- The Morrill Act of 1862 provided for The Morrill Act of 1890 tions on the growth of black land-grant the establishment of at least one land- The Morrill Act of 1890 was passed grant institution in each State. In specifically to provide further endow- by B. D. Mayberry, Direttor, Carver Research States having legal separation of the ment of the 1862 institutions. A provi- foundation, Tuskegee University, races, the legislation was sufficiently sion was included, however, indicating Tuskegee, AL flexible to allow for the establishment of that institutions that were practicing

Port V Education: The Future of Agriculture racial discrimination in admission Second Morrill Act of 1890 provided for century was too little to make a signif- would not be eligible to receive the 1890 agricultural research to be conducted in icant difference. funds. This provision was circumvented each State, usually on the campus of the Extension. Outreach activities in by establishing separate land-grant 1862 school. An exception to this pattern the 1890 institutions predate the formal schools for the Negro. Each Southern was the branch experiment station National Extension System, established State either established a new school established at Prairie View, TX, under under the Smith-Lever Act of 1914, by for this purpose or took over an existing provisions of the Hatch Act of 1887. almost 40 years. Outreach efforts by public or private Negro school and des- The State of Alabama established an Alabama A&M University date back to ignated it as a land-grant institution. experiment station at Tuskegee Univer- 1875, when WiUiam H. Council, the The historically black or land-grant sity in 1897, staffed it with George principal, published a farmers' news- institutions are listed in table 1. Washington Carver, and provided it letter to facilitate technology transfer. with an annual appropriation of $1,500. Tuskegee University initiated outreach With this. Dr. Carver completely activities in 1881, established an Exten- The Land-Grant Mission revolutionized agriculture in the deep sion department in 1889, and organized The basic land-grant mission, which South, by showing what could be done an annual farmers conference in 1892— has come to apply to both 1862 and with soybeans, peanuts, and other which still operates after 98 years. 1890 institutions, includes instruction, alternative crops, and by doing research In 1896, Dr. Carver made weekend research, and Extension. and training in such areas as soil con- visits to the country in a wagon with Instruction. The 1890 institutions servation and crop rotation. In addition, demonstration tools, which evolved to were under the same legislative man- he developed many commercial products become the Nation's first "movable date to provide instruction in agricul- from the peanut and the sweet potato. school." This concept spread across the ture, home economics, and mechanical Research support at the other 1890 Nation, and to Africa, Europe, and the industries as were the 1862 institu- institutions during the first half of this Middle East. tions, and they were already heavily T. M. Campbell was employed at involved in teacher training. This was Tuskegee University on November 12, continued as agricultural and other 1906 to become the first Negro Cooper- land-grant courses were phased in and ative Extension Agent in the United became very significant by the turn of States. About one month later, John B. the century. Pierce of Hampton University was em- Instruction in agriculture, home ployed in a similar position in Virginia. economics, mechanical industries, and Campbell coordinated and supervised general education was continued until Negro Extension in the southern section 1917, when the Smith-Hughes Act was of the Southern States and Pierce passed, providing for the training of coordinated Negro Extension in the vocational teachers for the public northern half of the Southern States. schools. At this point, the 1890 insti- tutions accepted the responsibility of training Negro vocational teachers. This The Smith-Lever Act continued until the Smith-Hughes Beginning in 1914 under the Smith- program was folded into the Vocational Lever Act, Negro Extension programs Education Act of 1963 and later into the were operated by the 1890 institutions Carl D. Perkins Act of 1984. in each of the Southern States, under Research. Research was included in the supervision and administration of the founding mission of the 1890 insti- the 1862 institutions. T. M. Campbell tutions, but research resources were not and John B. Pierce continued to work as made available to most of these institu- coordinators, motivators, and facilita- tions. The Hatch Act of 1887 and the tors within the Negro Extension pro- , innovator in research and extension. gram. In 1918 they were promoted to

Historically Black Land-Grant Institutions-the First 100 Years 149 Federal Field Agents for Negro Table 1. Founding Dates and Sponsors of Historically Black Land-Grant Extension. The 1890 institutions developed and Institutions executed a long list of special, and in Founding many cases unique, approaches to date Nome and State Sponsor reaching and serving the unreached. Examples include the "movable school" 1866 Lincoln University, Missouri Civil War Negro Infantry Men and such annual events as the "Ham 1871 Alcorn University, Mississippi State Legislature and Egg Show" (a demonstration project 1872 South Carolina State University State Legislature on producing and processing swine and 1873 , Pine Bluff State Legislature poultry), which was initiated by Negro 1875 Alabama A&M University Group of Ex-Slaves County Agent Otis S. O'Neal at Fort 1876 Prairie View A&M University, State Legislature Valley State College, GA, in 1916 and 1880 , Louisiana State Legislature continued for more than 50 years. Other 1881 Tuskegee University, Alabama State Legislature special activities included summer 1882 Virginia State University State Legislature camps, judging contests, and talent 1886 Kentucky State University State Legislature shows open to Negro boys and girls. 1886 University of Maryland Eastern Shore Methodist Episcopal Church This Negro Extension System continued 1887 Florida A&M University State Legislature until the Civil Rights era of the mid- 1891 Delaware State College State Legislature 1960's, when it was reorganized, 1891 North Carolina A&T University Citizens Group integrated, and in many cases discon- 1891 State College* State Legislature tinued, purportedly in the interest of 1895 Fort Valley State College, Georgia Citizens Group eliminating racial discrimination. 1897 , Oklahoma Territorial Legislature 1912 Tennessee State University State Legislature The Breakthrough in Federal Support "Voluntarily dropped "1890" designtrtion in 1957 The breakthrough in Federal support of agricultural programs at 1890 Law 95-113, requiring functional coor- USDA/1890 Initiative institutions came following the Civil dination with the respective 1862 Rights Act of 1964. Starting in 1967, In the last quarter century, to make institutions. By 1977, the annual up for years of past discrimination, under the authority of Public Law appropriation for 1890 schools had 89-106, the Secretary of Agriculture USDA has aggressively and forcefully reached $13,352,000 for research, and supported the growth and development allocated $283,000 of discretionary $8,400,000 for Extension, based on a funds to be divided among the 1890 of the 1890 land-grant institutions. This formula, or percentage, of 1862 funding. began with the "breakthrough" in institutions for research. These funding levels for programs In fiscal year 1972, while still under Federal formula funding of agricultural continued to increase, so that in 1990, programs under the grant mechanism the grant mechanism of PL 89-106, the the centennial year, $25,300,000 is Secretary of Agriculture used discre- of Pubhc Law 89-106 in 1967 and con- allocated for research and $24,000,000 tinued with the many efforts sponsored tionary funds for Extension as well as for Extension. research; the funds for that year under legislative authority of the 1977 In 1984, the U.S. Congress autho- Farm Bill, Public Law 95-113. amounted to $8,600,000 for research rized a $50,000,000 grant to improve and $4,000,000 for Extension, By 1972, USDA sponsored a symposium in research facilities at the 1890 institu- Nashville, TN, April 24-26,1988, which Tuskegee was included, but not as a tions, and in 1986, $50,000,00 was was cosponsored by the 1890 institu- land-grant institution (see table 2). authorized for improving Extension Starting in 1977, the 1890 institu- facilities. tions and Tuskegee University and tions' programs in research and Exten- hosted by Tennessee State University. sion were funded directly under Public The goal of this symposium was to

150 Port V Education: The Future of Agriculture Table 2. Federal Formula Funds for Research and Extension at 1890 Institutions in agriculture. Participants discussed how to attract more minority students and TuskegeeJ 967-1990 into agriculture and strengthen links FY Purpose Research Extension Total between the 1890 institutions and USDA. 1967 Programs 283,000 -0- 283,000 A task force consisting of presidents 1968 Programs 283,000 -0- 283,000 of the 1890 institutions and career 1969 Programs 283,000 -0- 283,000 agency heads was established to provide 1970 Programs 283,000 -0- 283,000 oversight and assistance in carrying out 1971 Programs 283,000 -0- 283,000 symposium recommendations. A task 1972 Programs 8,600,000 4,000,000 12,600,000 force working group, with representa- 1973 Programs 10,883,000 6,000,000 16,883,000 tives from each USDA agency chosen 1974 Programs 10,883,000 6,000,000 16,883,000 for their particular skills, was estab- 1975 Programs 11,824,000 6,450,000 18,274,000 lished to help implement the 17 sym- 1976 Programs 12,706,000 7,823,000 20,529,000 posium recommendations. Interim Programs* 3,176,000 195,572 3,371,572 The most publicized recommendation 1977 Programs 13,352,000 8,400,000 21,752,000 concerned the establishment of a USDA 1978 Programs 14,153,000 8,833,000 22,986,000 Liaison Office on each 1890 campus. By 1979 Programs 16,360,000 10,115,000 26,475,000 February 1990, each 1890 campus had a 1980 Programs 17,785,000 10,453,000 28,238,000 liaison office established, with at least 1981 Programs 19,270,000 11,250,000 30,520,000 one liaison officer based in it. The 1982 Programs 21,492,000 12,241,000 33,733,000 duties of these liaison officers are tai- 1983 Programs 22,394,000 16,241,000 38,635,000 lored to the specific needs and circum- 1984 Programs 22,844,000 17,241,000 40,085,000 stances of the institutions they serve. 1984 Facilities** 50,000,000 -0- 50,000,000 Yet in every case their value is immea- 1985 Programs 22,474,000 17,741,000 41,215,000 surable as a link between the specific 1986 Programs 22,329,681 16,877,000 39,206,681 1890 institution and the Federal 1986 Facilities** -0- 50,000,000 50,000,000 Government, especially USDA. 1987 Programs 22,329,681 16,877,000 39,206,681 USDA has a full-time staffer in the 1988 * Programs 23,333,000 18,291,000 41,624,000 Deputy Secretary's office to provide 1989 Programs 24,300,000 18,300,000 42,600,000 oversight, motivation, and supervision 1990 Programs*** 25,300,000 24,000,000 49,300,000 in implementing programs arising out of the Nashville symposium, as well as Totals $398,486,362 $287,328,572 $685,531,934 other initiatives taken by the Secretary * Federal fiscal year chonged from July to October and Deputy Secretary. ** Congressional 5-year outhorizatíon *** USDA funding proposal for the 1890 Initiative (January 1989) enhance communication among the 1890 institutions. Secretary of Agri- 1890 institutions, Tuskegee University, culture Richard Lyng expressed his and USDA agencies in order to achieve personal commitment to enhancing and and maintain active partnerships to strengthening the relationship between strengthen the agricultural enterprise. the historically black land-grant institu- The symposium was attended by tions and USDA. He also emphasized decisionmakers from USDA and the the need to encourage minorities and women to pursue education and careers

Historically Black Land-Grant Institutions-the First 100 Years 151