The Morrill Act gave each state 30,000 acres of federal land for each of the state's U.S. Senators and Representatives, according to the Library of Congress. For example, if a state had two representatives and two senators, that state would receive 120,000 acres. Over 100 million acres were eventually donated. The act helped fund 69 colleges through sale of the land. These so called "land-grant" schools, which included MIT and Cornell University, were designed to offer programs in agriculture and the mechanical arts.
The Morrill Act, which was signed by President Abraham Lincoln, enabled many farmers and working people to attend college across the country, particularly in newer states. The Act represented the first federal aid to college education, according to OurDocuments.gov.
The land-grant schools included both newly established colleges and existing colleges that used the Act for additional financing. Although some states misused the income from land sales, the Act helped shape the future education, society, and economy of the country by making college education more accessible to rural and working-class youth.