Antioch College Chartered
Antioch College, chartered on May 14, 1852, in Yellow Springs, Ohio, is recognized as the earliest American educational institution of first-class standing that was both nonsectarian and fully coeducational. The college's founding was inspired by members of the Christian Connexion, who sought to create a progressive educational environment. Notably, it was established under the leadership of Horace Mann, a prominent educator and social reformer, who emphasized the importance of scholarship coupled with character development.
Upon its opening in 1853, Antioch College quickly attracted significant interest, demonstrating early commitments to inclusivity by admitting students without regard to sex, color, or religious affiliation. The curriculum was designed to meet high academic standards while also addressing moral and physical well-being. Throughout its history, Antioch has aimed to promote civic engagement and personal growth, adapting to the evolving educational landscape, particularly during revitalization efforts led by Arthur E. Morgan in the 1920s. Today, the college is known for its diverse learning environments, emphasis on cultural pluralism, and innovative educational practices.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Antioch College Chartered
Antioch College Chartered
On May 14, 1852, Antioch College, located in Yellow Springs, 18 miles east of Dayton in southwestern Ohio, was chartered. It was the earliest American educational institution of first-class standing that was both nonsectarian and fully coeducational.
The idea for such a college had been broached as early as 1837 by members of the Christian Connexion, a religious body that had arisen in various eastern states at the beginning of the century. The movement to establish an innovative college began to gather momentum in 1849 under the impetus of Alpheus Marshall Merrifield, a building contractor in Worcester, Massachusetts. On May 8 and 9, 1850, an informally chosen committee on education gathered in New York to draw up plans for a college to be submitted to delegates from widely scattered Christian Connexion congregations in the United States and Canada at a national convention in October 1850 in Marion, New York. There it was resolved that “our responsibility to the community, and the advancement of our interests…demand of us the establishment of a College” and that “this College shall afford equal privileges to both sexes.”
In recognition of the financial support of Ohio members, who contributed six times as much money as members in all the other states combined, it was decided to locate the college in that state. Yellow Springs was selected as the site, and construction of campus buildings began early in 1852. Upon its completion, Antioch Hall, designed to accommodate 1,000 students, was one of the largest buildings in Ohio. By January 26, 1852, the decision had been made to close the proposed curriculum to theological study, a step that was significant for the institution's pioneering role in nonsectarian education on the college level.
The Committee on Faculty then approached Horace Mann to ask whether he would accept the presidency of the new college that would admit students without regard to sex, color, or religious affiliation. The 56-year-old Mann, who for 12 years had been secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education, was a well-known educator and social reformer noted for furthering common school education and teacher training. He was attracted by the idea of having a free hand in developing Antioch College and commented: “It involves considerations of vast importance; not to myself merely, these I could easily dispose of; but considerations of vast importance to the rising generations of the country in whom I feel so deep an interest.”
Mann was elected president of Antioch on September 17, 1852. Dedication and inauguration ceremonies took place on October 5, 1853, and a permanent board of trustees was elected on September 4 of the following year. The new college was the object of much attention. When it opened its doors in the fall of 1853, it had attracted over 1,000 applicants, most of whom were unprepared. Of the 150 students who took the required written entrance examinations, only 8 passed; others were enrolled in a related preparatory school. During Mann's six-year presidency, 40 students (nine women and 31 men) graduated from the college, while 325 other college students and over 1,500 preparatory students were directly influenced by his educational methods.
Mann was imbued with an “enthusiasm for humanity.” He aimed at the individual's highest possible development and stressed that a combination of scholarship and character development would result in intellectual and spiritual freedom. To attain this end, Mann planned a curriculum modeled on the highest academic standards of the period, as practiced in the top eastern colleges. Courses in science, history, composition, literature, and modern languages were supplemented by electives in drawing, design, and music. As the president stated with pride: “In all this Great West, ours is the only institution, of a first-class character, which is not, directly or indirectly, under the influence of the old -school theology.” Great stress was also placed upon hygiene, general conduct, and moral habits.
Elected president of Antioch College three times, Mann devoted the last years before his death on August 2, 1859, to fulfilling these goals and experienced perhaps greater satisfaction in his achievements than in his previous accomplishments as a lawyer, politician, and state official. As his wife, Mary Peabody Mann, wrote in a letter to her sister Sophia Peabody Hawthorne (the wife of Nathaniel Hawthorne) in 1858: “What Mr. Mann has done in these five years for five hundred or more young people is worth all the toils and labors of his life.” One of his students later summarized Mann's achievements: he established high literary and moral standards; he raised educational requirements on all levels; he demonstrated the practicality of coeducation; and he imparted the mastery of knowledge while promoting both self -reliance and improved health among students.
After the first few decades of its existence, Antioch College experienced a decline that was not arrested until the 1920s. Then, Arthur E. Morgan, an educator and noted civil engineer, was selected president of Antioch. In 1921 he began to revitalize the college by revamping the curriculum around the goal of “learning what life means and how to make the most of it.” The school still has a reputation for widely divergent learning environments, cultural pluralism, individualized attention, openness to educational experimentation, and extensive training outside the classroom. In line with Horace Mann's last words to his students, “be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity,” the college stresses the application of knowledge to civic action.