Library Guides: Morrill Act & Land-Grant Universities: Find Books

Free Online Books

Colleges of Agriculture at the Land Grant Universities: A Profile
Published in 1995 by the National Research Council...talks about the future of agricultural colleges in the land-grant system.
Democracy's College: the land-grant movement in the formative stage
Written by Earle D. Ross in 1942. You may need to scroll down the page to see the links to the Table of Contents and other sections of the book.
The Origin and Early History of Iowa State College
Written by Benjamin Gue around 1891, 11 pages, scanned and made available by the ISU Libraries Special Collections Department.
The Origin of the Land Grant Act of 1862 (the so-called Morrill act) and Some Account of its Author, Jonathan B. Turner
Written by Edmund J. James and published in 1910 by the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Book is also available in the Parks Library General Collection.
The State Universities and Democracy
Written by Allan Nevins and published in 1962 by the University of Illinois Press. Print copy available in the Parks Library General Collection.

Featured Hardcopy Books (with cover image where available)

Agricultural Science and the Quest for Legitimacy : farmers, agricultural colleges, and experiment stations, 1870-1890 by Alan I. Marcus
Call Number: S541 .M28 1985
Publication Date: 1985
Copies available in Parks General Collection, Special Collections, and Veterinary Medical Library.
Colleges for Our Land and Time : the land-grant idea in American education by Edward Danforth Eddy
Call Number: LB 2330 .Ed24c
Publication Date: 1957
Justin Smith Morrill: father of the land-grant colleges by Coy F. Cross
Call Number: E664.M8 C76 1999 (Parks Library General Collection)
Publication Date: 1999
Available in electronic version (for ISU researchers only) and hard copy.
Reclaiming a Lost Heritage: land-grant and other higher education initiatives for the twenty-first century by John R. Campbell
Call Number: LB 2329.5 C35 1995
Publication Date: 1995
Copies available on Parks General Collection and Veterinary Medical Library.
The Land-Grant Idea at Iowa State College: a centennial trial balance, 1858-1958 by Earle Dudley Ross
Call Number: LD 2543 .R733L
Publication Date: 1958
Copies available in Parks General Collection and Archives.
The Magnificent Charter: the origin and role of the Morrill land-grant colleges and universities by J.B. Edmond
Call Number: LB2329.5 E32 1978 (Parks Library General Collection)
Publication Date: 1978
The Origins of Federal Support for Higher Education: George W. Atherton and the land-grant college movement by Roger L. Williams
Call Number: LB 2342.4.U6 W55 1991
Publication Date: 1991
Covers the 1890 Act very well and gives good intro / historiography on the land-grant movement.

Just want to browse?

Usingthe ISU Quick Search is an excellent way to view or locate information aboutbooks in our library. To do this, use the Quick Search boxin the left sidebar. Recommended terms include: Morrill Act; land-grant college*; Morrill, Justin Smith; Turner, Jonathan Baldwin; Hatch Act; agricultural colleges united states history.

Both novice and veteran researchers may also find it worthwhile to simply browse certain areas of the ISU Library. Depending on the needs or interests of the researcher, browsing the stacks may serve as a valuable overview of available resources. Physically browsing the stacks often results in the discovery of that one book or source the researcher has always hoped to run across, or, unaware of its existence, never thought to search for using Quick Search. Here are some suggested call number areas that may prove helpful:

E 664 .M8 = Senator Justin Smith Morrill.

LB 2827=Jonathan Baldwin Turner

LB 2329.5=history of land-grant colleges

S 533 = history of agricultural education

S 544 = history of agricultural extension

T 69 -T 73= history of engineering education