Upvote:2
This is discussed in the wikipedia entry for the Morrill Land-Grant Acts
For 20 years prior to the first introduction of the bill in 1857, there was a political movement calling for the creation of agriculture colleges.
Michigan had already created one which would be the model:
For example, the Michigan Constitution of 1850 called for the creation of an "agricultural school",1 though it was not until February 12, 1855, that Michigan Governor Kinsley S. Bingham signed a bill establishing the United States' first agriculture college, the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, known today as Michigan State University, which served as a model for the Morrill Act.2
These schools would give mid-western states, where agriculture was dominant, a boost in furthering education availability. Concerning the dominance of agriculture, here are some numbers:
- 1840
Total population: 17,069,453; farm population; 9,012,000 (est.); farmers 69% of labor force
- 1850
Total population: 23,191,786; farm population; 11,680,000 (est.); farmers 64% of labor force; Number of farms: 1,449,000; average acres: 203
- 1860
Total population: 31,443,321; farm population: 15,141,000 (est.); farmers 58% of labor force; Number of farms: 2,044,000; average acres: 199
The context, the time of 1862, is what caused the inclusion of the military training clause to gain support and overcome earlier rejections:
Morrill resubmitted the act with the amendment that the proposed institutions would teach military tactics[5] as well as engineering and agriculture. Aided by the secession of many states that did not support the plans, this reconfigured Morrill Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on July 2, 1862.