American Higher Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

American Higher Education - Essay Example This college later turned into the Harvard University where initially the focus was on Bible studies; however, alongside with subjects relevant to philosophy, astronomy, ethics, logic etc., there were subjects similar to those of the colleges in England. Harvard was basically a dignified institution created to teach the ministers, thus, being an elitist college. The colonial era saw the establishment of nine more colleges, out of which eight were affiliated religiously; however, all were private universities targeting selected students from strong backgrounds (Cohen and Kisker 89-90). These colleges include William and Marry School, the Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Brown University, Rutgers, Dartmouth, the Cowley and William College, all of which were aimed at intellectual development of the children of the privileged class. Following the war, the trend of college education started becoming popular; more and more schools started coming into existence. 1820`s and 1830`s are considered to be important years in this context as important debates were raised considering the scope and the curricula of education (Denham 45). Subjects like history were being coupled with sciences and a shift away from the medieval model took place at that time. This era also saw an increase in the number of working class owing much to the changing demographics and trends in the United States of America. Thus, the Congress became more sensitive in this context as the need to educate the masses was on the rise. ... ially the focus was on Bible studies; however, alongside with subjects relevant to philosophy, astronomy, ethics, logic etc., there were subjects similar to those of the colleges in England. Harvard was basically a dignified institution created to teach the ministers, thus, being an elitist college. The colonial era saw the establishment of nine more colleges, out of which eight were affiliated religiously; however, all were private universities targeting selected students from strong backgrounds (Cohen and Kisker 89-90). These colleges include William and Marry School, the Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Brown University, Rutgers, Dartmouth, the Cowley and William College, all of which were aimed at intellectual development of the children of the privileged class. Following the war, the trend of college education started becoming popular; more and more schools started coming into existence. 1820`s and 1830`s are considered to be important years in this context as important debates were raised considering the scope and the curricula of education (Denham 45). Subjects like history were being coupled with sciences and a shift away from the medieval model took place at that time. This era also saw an increase in the number of working class owing much to the changing demographics and trends in the United States of America. Thus, the Congress became more sensitive in this context as the need to educate the masses was on the rise. Therefore, after heated debates and efforts, Congress finally passed the Morill Acts of 1862 and later in 1890 (Burtchael 62). This reform constituted a land reform system where the pieces of lands owned by the Federal Governments would be allocated to establish public schools for those students who belonged