The antebellum Southern evangelical and state-supported colleges : a comparative study

In their attempt to defeat the forces of evil, win souls for the Lord, and spread their morality, the evangelicals designed their colleges in a unique manner. Evangelical higher education was more concerned with the production of the moral man than the learned man. Great care was taken to avoid the ever possible conflict between learning and morality-precautions most evangelicals believed had not been taken in the post- Revolutionary period and many contended were neglected in the secular colleges of the pre-Civil War nineteenth century. With the wave of evangelical college foundings of the 1830's and 1840's a miraculous fusion was achieved; knowledge and academic perspectives were inculcated and fitted into the metaphysical framework of a basically anti-intellectual, emotion-based religion. Such an incongruous combination was not arrived upon without much disagreement. The nature of that revealing debate, its origin, participants, and outcome will elicit significant attention in this study.

The dissertation will compare this new type of evangelical college education with selected public institutions of higher education of the period. Because of the evangelization of American society during the era, the distinction between the evangelical and the non-evangelical institutions tended to be blurred. While, therefore, many similarities did exist, this study will attempt to delineate those areas where the institutions differed. The question will be asked, did the religious dogma supporting the educational institutions make any difference in educational practice, and if so, specifically how did it. The basis for deciding this question of educational practice will revolve around curriculum, student behavior, faculty and administrative roles, goals, and attitudes, objectives of college supporters, religious instruction, teaching methodologies, political perspectives, methods of tuition payment, and other questions. For purpose of clarity East Tennessee University, representative of public institutions of the period, will be examined quite extensively, as will Emory and Henry College, representative of the evangelical institutions.