The Morrill Act's Unseen Cost: Indigenous Land Seizure and the Path to Reparations

Author: Tobias Martin

Field of Study: Arts and Humanities

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Will Glovinsky

Easel: 37

Timeslot: Afternoon

Abstract: The Morrill Act of 1862, which formed state “land-grant” universities, has long been celebrated for boosting American educational opportunities and distributing Western land at a reasonable price for Americans to develop. Yet it did so by dispossessing Indigenous Americans through unfair treaties and seizure. In 2020, High Country News exposed this neglected history of what it relabeled “land-grab” universities with a detailed analysis of the parcels of land taken from Native nations to endow each university. Arguments over reparations have ensued as some of the universities funded by the act started to take small steps forward. This project analyzes the many potential reparative ideas posed by different scholars, institutions, and Native nations to evaluate whether they are feasible, would set up communities for future success, and would bring justice to this tragic history.