Running head: HISTORY OF HIGHER EDUCATION: RESPONSE PAPER #1 1

History of Higher Education: Response Paper #1

Nancy Huang

Seattle University
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Introduction

W. E. B. DuBois (1903) stated in his essay, The Talented Tenth that “Education is the

whole system of human training within and without the school house walls, which molds and

develops men” (p. 557). This statement exemplifies the values American higher education was

founded upon. Higher education was established to educate and train young White men into

becoming members of the White elite. As time progressed, the student population became more

diverse in which women and Blacks were given access to higher education. Despite the increase

in diversity, these groups are still marginalized within the American higher education system.

Anderson (n. d.), Brazzell (1992), DuBois (1903), and Washington (1969) all highlight the

purpose in the founding of Black higher education, which is to educate Black men into becoming

part of the Black elite. Although higher education became more accessible to women and Blacks,

these groups are still disenfranchised due to the lack of federal and state support. This ultimately

created obstacles and challenges for Black higher education institutions to sustain and fulfill their

goal of educating Black men and women.

Summary of the Readings

Both Anderson (n. d.) and Brazzell (1992) discuss the establishment of Black higher

education in the post-Emancipation era. In both articles, Anderson (n. d.) and Brazzell (1992)

examine how black colleges were founded while including some of the challenges they faced in

sustaining and maintaining the institution. Anderson (n. d.) highlights the key factors that

contributed to the decline of black colleges. These factors include the lack of support from the

federal and state level, the need to incorporate liberal arts philosophy, and the failure of black

missionary and religious philanthropy. All these hinder the development of black higher

education in the 1900s as institutions experienced difficulties in attaining funding and capital to
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maintain their operations. The establishment of national and regional accrediting agencies also

endangered the preservation and survival of black colleges. The creation of accrediting agencies

gave a fixed definition to the terms “high school,” “college,” and “university.” This categorized

colleges and universities, and forced higher learning to be defined by specific and universal

standards, which added more demands for black colleges to become fully developed institutions

of higher learning.

While Anderson’s (n. d.) article demonstrates the obstacles that black higher education

encountered during their effort to become full-fledged institutions of higher learning, Brazzell

(1992) reveals some of the difficulties that black women colleges faced in their establishment.

Brazzell uses Spelman Seminary to highlight higher education of black women in the late

nineteenth century. For women, their sphere is the home; thus, they were to be trained to be good

wives, mothers, and caretakers. The idea of what the woman’s role is and should be in society

was applied to black women in higher education. For black women, their role “was to lead the

home and the classroom” (Brazzell, 1992, p. 36), which was similar to the expectations of white

women. The need of financial resources to support new curriculums and studies was faced with

difficulties at Spelman. The discussion of what women should and should not study was debated.

Since the woman’s sphere is the home, it was more practical to teach women how to care for

their gardens and provide food for the family. Therefore, education for black women was

focused on training them not only to be better educators, but also better caretakers.

Although both Anderson (n. d.) and Brazzell (1992) detail the problems that early black

higher education institutions faced, Dubois (1903) and Washington (1962) examine some of the

core values of higher education for Blacks. For DuBois (1903), the notion of “the talented tenth”

suggests that the purpose of education for black men is to create leaders to uplift the black race.
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Much of Dubois’s argument focused on the emphasis and integration of liberal arts education in

black colleges. According to Dubois, “Education must not simply teach work – it must teach

Life” (p. 561). Black men must be made into leaders of their own race; and in order to do that,

black higher education need to incorporate liberal studies into the curriculum. Unlike Dubois,

Washington (1969) argued on the need for industrial education in black colleges. According to

Washington it is crucial for Blacks to “learn that being worked meant degradation, while

working means civilization; that all forms of labor are honorable, and all forms of idleness

disgraceful” (p. 9). Compared to Dubois, Washington stresses the importance of integrating

practical elements into higher education. He advocates for the freedmen to utilize the skills they

learned as slaves and put it to use to cultivate themselves in the post-slavery era. For

Washington, industrial education is more important than liberal arts education because it allowed

black men to assimilate into society as freedmen.

Significance of the Readings

In these readings on the history of black higher education, it is crucial to note how race

impact the development of today’s institutions of higher learning. The establishment of black

colleges created access to educational opportunities to members of marginalized groups. The

readings provide a different lens to the establishment of higher education while straying away

from the White Eurocentric perspective of higher education history. At the same time, the

founding of black institutions demonstrates the integration of White middle class values into the

curriculum. In order for Blacks to transition from slaves to freedmen, education was necessary as

it offered the opportunity to be taught “White middle-class values and behavior patterns” so that

they can be accepted into White society (Brazzell, 1992, p. 32). Since black colleges served as

spaces for Blacks to gain the knowledge and skills to assimilate into a post-slavery society, the
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emphasis on liberal arts education further exemplifies the values that American higher education

was founded on. For Blacks, higher education was created to provide them with the similar

opportunities that Whites had and to produce members of the Black elites. By discussing how

black higher education was created, it establishes a clearer understanding of how institutions of

higher learning are continuously oppressing those who have been historically disenfranchised.

Reflection and Implications

The history of black higher education is important. As a student affairs practitioner, I

work with a diverse student population. Having an understanding of how black colleges and

institutions were founded and the challenges they faced since their establishment helps me

recognize the persisting issues existing today around minority serving institutions. Living and

working in the west coast region, I am not familiar with Historically Black Colleges and

Universities (HBCU). However, I am familiar with other types of minority serving institutions. I

found the information relevant to my understanding of American community colleges. Similar to

black institutions, community colleges also experienced difficulties in receiving financial

support. They are faced with funding constraints due to the lack of accreditation from the

national level. Additionally, like black colleges, community colleges focused on liberal arts

studies in the early years. As time progressed, community colleges shift from liberal studies to

industrial education due to the need for job-training programs to ease unemployment rates. At

black colleges, the debate about whether or not industrial education should be integrated into the

curriculum was a pressing conversation in the late nineteenth century. The liberal arts based

curriculum demonstrates the White values that higher education established on. While black

education was founded to educate, civilize, and uplift the black race, its focus on liberal studies

reinforces that idea that higher education was originally created to produce elite young men. In
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the case of black colleges, it was established to cultivate the black elite.

The history of American higher education fosters my understanding of student affairs

work. Over and over again, student affairs reiterate the importance of supporting the student

holistically. From Dubois (1903) and Washington’s (1969) argument, I think it is necessary to

provide students the academic support to cultivate their intellectual development. At the same

time, I also believe it is important to create and offer hands-on learning opportunities for

students. In student affairs, we provide resources to help students navigate the institution and

produce opportunities for them to develop personally and professionally. Moreover, the history

of higher education helps us better understand how certain groups were marginalized and

encourages us to be critical of the continual oppression that exists within the system. For me, the

reading informed that even though we are far from the types of marginalization that existed

centuries ago, inequity still persists. Students from historically marginalized groups are faced

with challenges when entering college. Therefore, as student affairs practitioners, we need to be

aware of who we are serving, ask questions, and analyze the intention and effectiveness of our

work. In order to better serve minority students, we need to be conscious of the way the system

functions to provide practical resources and support for our students.

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References

Anderson, James D. . "Training the Apostles of Liberal Culture: Black Higher Education, 1900-

1935." The History of Higher Education. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 432-56. Print.

Brazzell, J. C. (1992). Bricks without straws: Missionary-sponsored black higher education in

the Post-Emancipation Era. Journey of Higher Education, 63(1), 26-47.

Dubois, W. (1903). The Talented Tenth. In The Negro Problem: A Series of Articles by

Representative Negros of Today (pp. 551-561). New York, NY: James Pott & Co.

Washington, B. T. (1969). Industrial Education for the Negro. In The Negro Problem (pp. 9-29).

New York, NY: Arno Press.