John Monteith played a leading role at Hamilton College during the 1820's in an upheaval that paralleled those of the 1960's. The subject matter of the two conflicts differed greatly, but both involved the same groups of combatants--administrators, faculty members, students, trustees, and external organizers. This review of Monteith's career brings some illuminating and authoritative answers to many questions about what happened at Hamilton during its nearly disastrous early history. The paper also touches on antebellum influences of organized religious bodies and their feuding factions on colleges and universities, and the social reform movements in the United States during Monteith's lifetime. Appendixes 1 and 2 reproduce relevant pages from 1875 and 1941 published histories of the University of Michigan at whose antecedent institution Monteith held 7 of the 13 blueprinted professorships and also its presidency. Appendix 3 has been typed from an 1833 pamphlet written by President Henry Davis of Hamilton College describing an episode in Monteith's stay there. Appendix 4 reviews the beginnings of Hamilton College. Appendix 5 consists of footnotes and supplementary data. (Author/KE)