An Early History of t he University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

1. AnEarlyHistoryoftheUniversityof North Carolina at Chapel Hill Lacey Beck

2. Overview: • Key figure in thefoundingof UNC-CH: William Davie • UNC-CH wasthenation’sfirstpublicuniversityto open forinstruction(althoughitwascharteredaftertheUniversityof Georgia). • Sponsored by thestateof NC, butreceived more financialassistancefromthePresbyterianChurch in itsearlystages • Curriculum: basedon a combinationofsciencesandclassicsstudies • Defenseoftheuniversityeducation: proponentssawdiversebenefits • Methodofinstruction: Recitation • Categoricalgradingscale • “Historical” legendsdatingtotheearliestdaysoftheuniversitycontinueto be celebrated at UNC-CH today

3. UNC-CH: Beginnings (I) • Prior to the founding of universities in North Carolina, most NC residents who went to college attended the College of New Jersey. • NC’s first schools were founded by groups such as Presbyterians, Moravians, and Quakers, but many ended up being shut down by the British government due to their dissenting religious character that was the basis of each institution’s education. • Following his participation in the Revolutionary War, a prominent military man named William Davie (pictured above), born in England but whom fought against the British, moved to Halifax, NC. The state granted him a great deal of property, which largely increased his wealth. Along with owning large plantations, Davie served in the state legislature and practiced law, resulting in his status as one of NC’s key figures of the time. With this role he served as one of the state’s representatives at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. After initial failure in convincing NC to ratify the Constitution, Davie and other Federalists ultimately succeeded: NC ratified the U.S. Constitution in 1789. • Following this success, Davie immediately proposed a bill to charter a university on the basis of the education mandate in NC’s 1776 constitution. The bill passed in the NC General Assembly, although no appropriations were given. • For more info on this initial phase, see: http://docsouth.unc.edu/true/chapter/chp01-01/chp01-01.html

4. UNC-CH: Beginnings (II) • 1792: A decision was made by the Board of Trustees that the university must be located centrally within the state of NC. The university was granted a gift of approximately 1390 acres in Orange County. An old abandoned Anglican chapel was located on this property, thus providing the namesake for the university at Chapel Hill • Once the land was officially designated, building the university campus could begin. The image at the right depicts William Davie laying the university cornerstone in 1793, initiating the construction of the first building on a public university campus in the United States. The building was called East Building (now known as “Old East”). • Following this phase of construction, the university was set to open in January 1795. Books were donated by some of the trustees to create the university library, and, prior to the official opening, decisions were made mandating: • Professors’ salaries • Official recommendations for what students should eat/drink • A university-controlled schedule for students that required prayers at sunrise and an 8:00pm curfew • Requirement to attend church on Sundays

5. UNC-CH: BeginningsFacts & Figures • Chartered in 1789, opened for instruction in 1795 • On opening day (January 15, 1795), the university had: • 2 buildings • 1 faculty member (also had the role of president) • 0 students (the first one, Hinton James, did not arrive until February 12) • Over the next 1 year, the university quickly grew to almost 100 students. • 1796: David Ker (the university’s first professor) was forced to resign because he renounced his Presbyterian faith • William Davie served as NC’s governor for a brief time in 1798 and was later awarded UNC’s first honorary degree for his fundamental role in the university’s establishment, naming him UNC-CH’s founder.

6. Curriculum • Two key schools of thought characterized UNC-CH’s early curriculum: • Classical • Proposed by Reverend Samuel McCorkle • Focus on Latin and Greek instruction • Mathematics, rhetoric, logic, moral philosophy also considered to be fundamental courses • The medieval university’s seven liberal arts were crucial in UNC’s curriculum. Their completion was “required because of their alleged cultural values and the dignity they were supposed to bestow upon the students who kept the faith and finished the course” (Edgar Knight) • Scientific • Proposed by Davies • Influenced by curriculum at William & Mary • Astronomy, Chemistry, Botany, and Natural and Moral Philosophy were greatly encouraged • English was emphasized (Greek and French could be taken if the students desired to learn them; not required) • The university ultimately drew upon both of these ideas to create a diverse curriculum for students. Required subjects included algebra, Latin, Greek, French, rhetoric, the mathematical sciences, chronology, navigation, economics, metaphysics, moral philosophy, history, geology, and sometimes Spanish or German.

7. DefendingtheUniversityEducation • As the concept of a public university was new, many people of North Carolina did not support state funding of the institution. Some argued that the concept of a university was an elitist or simply an unnecessary luxury. Even some of the most prominent politicians felt that the state government had no right to “tax one person’s property to educate another person’s child” (Powell, as quoted in Lindemann). • In the face of this conflict, proponents of the university education had diverse reasons for the common purpose of defending its benefits: • Mental discipline • Civic and moral virtues • Develop character • Spiritual and social benefits • Exercise in diligence and obedience • The major goals for higher education at this institution in the nineteenth century were “disciplining the intellect and forming moral character” (Lindemann)

8. Methods of Instruction and Evaluation • Instructors mainly taught in the recitation format. This meant that students had required reading prior to each class, and the professors questioned them on the material at each class session. In science courses, the students did not have to perform laboratory work; this was reserved for the instructors. • Prior to the 1840s, all exams were oral, but during this decade written examinations became common for some courses. • Grading: based on their performance throughout the term, students received one of the following grades: • Very good • Good • Very respectable • Respectable • Tolerable • Bad • Very bad • The equivalent of a GPA during the antebellum period was the average of these grades; if this average was “very good” the student would have the First Distinction, if it was “good” the student was deemed to have the Second Distinction, and “very respectable” got the Third Distinction. Students with these honors were widely known throughout the university community.

9. UNC-CH Architecture (pre-1860) Old East (cornerstonelaid 1793) Gerrard Hall (1822) SouthBuilding (1814) OldWest (1823) Smith Hall (1851)

10. Traditions and Legends from Early UNC History • According to one legend, William Davie and the first Board of Trustees chose the exact site to build the university while meeting under a poplar tree. For this reason, still today one poplar tree on campus is designated as “Davie Poplar” to commemorate this story. • Until the late 1800s, the Old Well was the main campus water source, but today it has a decorative/symbolic role; the legend remains that taking a drink from on the first day of classes will bring students good luck throughout the school year. • Peter Dromgoole, who enrolled at the University of North Carolina in 1831, allegedly died in a duel atop a rock in the forest surrounding the university. The rock remains stained red today, which is said to symbolize the blood of Dromgoole. This story has been passed down through generations of Chapel Hill alumni and residents. Traditions such as this one are key to the university’s identity today.

11. Connections to recent class topics • Funding: Like the University of Virginia, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received little state funding during its early days. In UNC’s case, the Presbyterian Church served as an important source of income. • Curriculum: UNC-CH drew upon the medieval university’s seven liberal arts for a fundamental part of its curriculum. • During the 1850s, between 30 and 40 percent of students were from outside North Carolina. • Prior to the Civil War, enrollment was highest in 1859 with 460 enrolled students. This made it second only to Yale, a major accomplishment for the public university. • Further historical context: interactive timeline from the UNC Museum website: http://museum.unc.edu/timeline/

12. Sources • http://docsouth.unc.edu/true/index.html • http://museum.unc.edu/exhibits/davie/ • http://museum.unc.edu/exhibits/antebellum/ • http://docsouth.unc.edu/true/chapter/chp01-03/chp01-03.html • http://raleighdurham.about.com/od/attractionsandlandmarks/ss/UNC-Chapel-Hill_6.htm • http://www.prairieghosts.com/unc.html • http://museum.unc.edu/timeline/