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Caption: Book - History of the University (Powell)
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102 History University of Illinois exact number matters little when it is known they came from so many different sources, from such representative bodies and societies of citizens as have already been enumerated. Particular attention should be called, however, to some dozen or more petitions that came to congress between February and May, 1858. The state legislatures of Rhode Island, Maine, New Jersey, and California petitioned for a grant of land "to each of the states" while the legislatures of Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota asked for grants for their particular states intending thereby apparently to forward the land grant bill. Mr. Morrill said in February, 1859, that petitions and resolutions in support of the bill had come from at least thirteen state legislatures.18 It is not the intention to convey the impression that the Illinois influence alone was sufficient to account for the activity of the various states in sending petitions to congress in 1858. The movement for industrial education had come up in some of the states before it had touched Illinois.19 In several states during the years 1850 to 1859 more had been accomplished in the way of practical results by state action than had been accomplished in Illinois: Michigan had actually established a state agricultural college by 1857; New York took definite action in 1853 by incorporating an industrial institution under the name of "The People's college ;" 20 in 1854 Pennsylvania chartered the Farmers' high school, later the Pennsylvania state college, which opened in 1859; in 1856 Maryland incorporated the Maryland agricultural college which received students in September, 1859; and in Massachusetts, Mr. Wilder succeeded in obtaining in 1856 from the state legislature, a charter of "The Trustees of the Massachusetts school of agriculture/i These and other states were deeply interested in industrial education within their own borders. They were familiar with the subject and when the request came from Illinois, late in December of 1857 or early in 1858 to send petitions to congress in "Congressional Globe, 35 congress 2 session, 1414. X9 See above, p. 3-10. | ^Unfortunately it failed later to comply with the conditions of the act f e w y r k ° d l 0 8 t t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t 0 b e c o m e * e agricultural college of
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