“We are loyal sons and daughters
Proud to own the name we bear
For the truth that thou has taught us
Ready all to do and dare
–South Carolina State University alma mater
In 1872, seven years after the Civil War, South Carolina Agricultural and Mechanical Institute was founded in Orangeburg, South Carolina. This institution would later become the Colored Normal Industrial Agricultural and Mechanical College of South Carolina in 1896 after the 1890 second Morrill Land-Grant Act created separate land-grant colleges for African Americans in the Southern United States. The initial Morrill Act led to the founding of white agricultural institutions; however, potential African-American collegians were barred from entering those colleges and universities. read more…
