In 1979, fourteen years after publishing his landmark work, "The Emergence of the American University," Laurence R. Veysey wrote a forward-looking article for the "American Quarterly" titled "The Autonomy of American History Reconsidered." In his article, Veysey suggested that the time had come to rewrite American…

Describes the theological seminary as the first graduate professional school to be successfully established in America. In addition to training ministers, the seminary provided advanced education for men who became professors and presidents of liberal arts colleges. The seminary was the functional equivalent of the university in ante-bellum…

Reconstructs the establishment of the Cambridge Grammar school in Massachusetts in the mid-1640s and documents its frequent difficulties in recruiting and maintaining appropriate schoolmasters. Using qualitative and quantitative evidence, analyzes the close relationship between the grammar school and Harvard College. Cambridge provided students to…

Reviews the social impact of Burton J. Bledstein's 1976 book, "The Culture of Professionalism," on public attitudes about the social role of universities. Asserts that Bledstein's major contribution was to raise critical questions about the functions of the modern university and the relationship between knowledge and power. (CFR)