As agriculture students at Oklahoma State University, it is very important to understand the history behind the founding of our institution. Attending a land grant university is certainly unique, but what does it mean? This article will discuss the legislative acts that organized our university, as well as other agricultural and mechanical schools in the United States. During the 1800s our country was experiencing a significant push for progress and innovation. Businesses were booming following the Industrial Revolution, and the nation was facing struggles resulting from racial disputes. The need for education was considerable; however, higher education was limited only to prestigious individuals. Furthermore, the only colleges were private or religious, which made admission even more difficult for working-class citizens. Justin Smith Morrill, a Republican legislator from Vermont, recognized this demand and initiated a plan to increase accessibility to advanced study programs. Morrill pushed the idea of ​​organizing public institutions that offered education and training in agriculture and mechanics. His emphasis on more practical skills rather than the arts met with much opposition. Angry lawmakers feared that creating A&M colleges would deplete budgets and jeopardize the integrity of established universities. They also expressed the view that the government should not make decisions regarding higher education. Among those who resisted Morrill's proposal was President James Buchanan, who vetoed Morrill's original plans in 1857. Fortunately, Justin Morrill gained another supporter during the subsequent presidential election. After learning of Morrill's radical ideas for education, Abraham...... middle paper......amson. A Century of Service: Land-Grant Colleges and Universities, 1890-1990. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 1991. Web. 4 March 2014.Craig, Lee A. "Title Raised Among Them: Black Educational Advancement and the Morrill Act of 1890." Agriculture and Human Values ​​9.1 (1992): 31-37 . Network. March 4, 2014. Cross, Coy F. Justin Smith Morrill: Father of Land-grant Universities. East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan State University, 1999. Web. March 4, 2014 Edmond, J. B. The Magnificent Charter: The Origin and the role of Morrill Land-Grant colleges and universities. Hicksville, NY: Exposition Press, 1978. Web. March 4, 2014. Morrill, Justin Smith. “Morrill Law of 1862: Essential Primary Sources.” . Lee Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, and Adrienne Wilmoth Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 97-99. Gale Virtual Reference Library. 2014.