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Chapter 3 Student Backgrounds The critic s o f th e earl y college s applie d th e sam e set s o f values , con cepts , an d assumption s t o th e stud y o f th e student s o f th e antebellu m period tha t the y use d t o interpre t th e institution s an d th e enrollment patterns. Th e resul t wa s a picture o f a uniform antebellu m studen t wh o was th e antithesis o f wha t th e historians desire d fo r their own time . Just as th e college s wer e turne d int o a n idea l an d pola r type , th e thousand s of student s o f th e hundred s o f college s i n differen t region s an d time s were froze n int o a n imag e o f th e "antebellu m student". 1 The back grounds an d career s o f th e student s wer e pushe d int o a stereotyp e tha t paralleled th e image of th e colleges an d their effect o n American society . The college s wer e viewe d a s conservative an d irrelevant , s o th e student s were see n a s timi d an d ineffective . Becaus e th e college s supposedl y di d not adop t scienc e an d technica l training , th e student s coul d hav e mad e few contribution s t o th e modernizatio n an d democratizatio n o f America . And becaus e th e college s wer e s o backward , th e student s wh o wer e attracted t o the m wer e eithe r fro m ol d elit e familie s wit h outmode d views o f th e worl d o r were fro m rura l backgrounds tha t mad e thei r best possible contribution t o America to be reactionary village leaders. Combined wit h a lac k o f systemati c informatio n o n th e background s and careers of th e antebellu m students , the assumptions use d by th e traditional historian s coul d onl y lea d t o tha t typ e o f descriptio n an d t o th e pervasive negative evaluation o f students ' achievements. The assumptio n that socia l an d economi c condition s wer e th e sam e befor e an d afte r th e Civil Wa r le d historian s t o believ e tha t th e countr y wa s fille d wit h po tential student s wh o possesse d al l th e characteristic s o f th e ideal moder n student. Therefore , th e actua l antebellu m student s an d thei r back grounds and lives appeare d t o be unnecessaril y premodern . The assumption tha t onl y scientific , vocational , an d specialize d course s coul d attrac t the desire d typ e o f student s an d allo w the m t o mak e late r contribution s also le d traditiona l historian s t o assum e tha t th e antebellu m student s were removed fro m business , th e development o f science , and the industrialization of America . 90 Student Background s 91 The combinatio n o f th e us e o f a n idea l typ e an d th e assumptio n tha t higher educatio n coul d hav e easil y change d itsel f le d t o bot h th e stu dents an d th e college s bein g abstracte d fro m thei r socia l an d economi c contexts. Students ' ages , thei r behavior , an d thei r background s an d ca reers wer e treate d i n a n ahistorica l manner . Thi s wa s compounde d b y the assumption tha t higher education coul d determine th e careers of stu dents . Jus t a s th e college s wer e essentiall y treate d a s autonomous , th e future o f thei r student s wa s no t...

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