August 30, 2025, will mark the 135th anniversary of the Second Morrill Act of 1890. This legislation was key in establishing Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Today, there are nineteen 1890 institutions in the United States, including Alabama A&M University and Tuskegee University.

Behind the Legislation

Vermont Senator Justin Morrill

The man behind the legislation is Justin Smith Morrill, a former United States senator from Vermont. Morrill was a successful politician and businessman best known for authoring the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. The Morrill Act of 1862 gave every state 30 acres of federal property that could be used to establish a school. These schools focused on educating farmers and working-class people in subjects, such as engineering, agriculture, and the mechanical arts. For this reason, many of them still use the words agricultural and mechanical in their names.

Today, there are 112 land-grant institutions, including 1994 Tribal Colleges and Universities tribal schools established by the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994.

The Need for HBCUs

Slavery still existed when the first land-grant schools were established in 1862; however, most African Americans were not emancipated until 1865. The Freedmen’s Bureau established many schools for Black students including Howard, Atlanta, Fisk, and Hampton universities following slavery. But in 1890, segregation permeated the land forbidding Black students from attending White colleges. Therefore, the Morrill Act of 1890 was enacted to balance the scales of education. As a result, African Americans had access to the land-grant system and established schools now known as 1890 land-grant institutions.

Today, HBCUs represent only three percent of college students, but 20 percent of all Black college graduates.

1890 Institutions

Most 1890 schools are in the South, except for Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, Delaware State University in Dover, Delaware, Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma, and Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. Representatives from these institutions actively participate in various associations, including the Association of Extension Administrators, the Association of Research Directors, and the Council of 1890 Institutions. The schools are also supported by the 1890 Foundation located in Washington, D.C.

Look for more 135th anniversary activities in the months ahead.