Dickinson College hist204 sp08
History 204 Sp 08 | Political Life | Cultural Life | Economic Life
Political Life in Cumberland County 1876
East College 1860-1880
Faculty Changes
Under President McCauley, Dickinson College is in the middle of an enrollment slump. In 1874 after a controversial faculty “reconstruction,” as Sellers calls it, students seem to be repelled from the college. The Board of Trustees even considers waiving entrance exams for the freshman and sophomore classes.
Economics
It cost $15 to attend the fall term at Dickinson College in 1876 and $25 to attend the spring and winter terms.
Political and Social Attitudes Towards Native Americans In Carlisle
This article examines the general perceptions and attitudes concerning Native Americans in Carlisle in the years leading up to the formation of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in 1879. In these years, the idea of Indian assimilation through eduation was becoming increasingly popular; this was a significant change from the more violent approach adopted by the Federal Government just a few years earlier. Evidence shows that Carlisle was a logical fit for the Indian school because of its location and because of the citizens of the town were generally receptive to Lt. Pratt's assimilation plan. However, there certainly were some concerns voiced by a minority of the population.
The Political Movement of Temperance
Views on distilled spirits in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania fluctuated greatly during the nineteenth century. At one point in the Upper Allen Township it was difficult to find a farm on which its owner was not running a still, converting grain into whiskey. In 1835 Cumberland County housed over eighty distilleries and pumped out more than a million gallons of whiskey every year. Yet, by 1876, the year in which America was celebrating its Centennial, views had very much changed. Temperance movements, which were originally seen as nuisances to legitimate business men and often written off as groups who ignored social norms, had gained great prominence. Click this link to view the main page on Temperance in Cumberland County.
