The History of Harvard University
Started in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest of all the colleges and universities in the United States. Yale, Princeton, and Dartmouth were opened soon after Harvard.
They were all started before the American Revolution made the thirteen colonies into states. In the early years, these schools were much alike. Only young men attended college. All the students studied the same subjects and everyone learned Latin and Greek. Little was known about science then, and one kind of school could teach everything that was known about the world. When the students graduated, most of them became ministers or teachers. In 1782, Harvard started a medical school for young men who wanted to become doctors. Later, lawyers could receive their training in Harvard Law School. In 1825,Harvard began teaching modern languages, such as French and German, as well as Latin and Greek.
Soon it began teaching American history. As knowledge increased, Harvard and other colleges began to teach many new subjects. Students were allowed to choose the subjects that interested them. Special colleges for women were started. New state universities began to teach such subjects as farming, engineering and business. Today, there are many different kinds of colleges and universities. Most of them are divided into smaller schools that deal with special fields of learning. There is so much to learn that one kind of school cannot offer it all.