The Morill Act, which was first passed in 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln, which was to provide land grants, so that the new western states could fund to build a system of industrial colleges, and creating agriculture colleges, so that lower-class people, like farmers and people of the working-class could have greater access to more advanced education.
Firstly, it improved the lives of many millions of American citizens. Also, in the past, these institutions focused mainly on classical studies, agriculture and mechanics and home economics that were practical at that period of time but not in this fast modernizing world. So, with this act passed, they break free from old traditions. It allowed for more applied studies that would better prepare the students for the outside world when they left the classroom and start making a living in the merciless world out there, allowing them to have a head-start and a experience of working life right in their face, providing them practical skills and first-hand encounter to survive the brutal world when they graduate. The government also directly provide educational support to these schools.
However, these measure proved to be a flaw on its own. It supported the separation of races, racial segregation. In the south, blacks were not allowed to attend land-grant institutions but after the passing of the revamped Second Morrill Act, that ghastly situation was rectified and land grants was included amongst black schools.
These two acts change the whole foundation of the education system and prove to be the tipping-point of education, as financial support flood in and government support come in mass numbers to support these institutions.
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