The Morrill Act of 1862 was signed by Abraham Lincoln on June 2. This act is also known as the Land Grant College Act. It was originally set up to establish institutions in each state that would educate people in agriculture, home economics, mechanical arts, and other practical professions. At the time of the establishment of this grant, there was a separation of races that provided for “separate but equal” facilities, but only Mississippi and Kentucky followed through with setting up such institutions. This act is significant because it exhibits an institutional aspect of the difficulties blacks had in attaining higher education.
“Morrill Act,” Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Morrill.html
Race and Racism in American Culture 