American Presbyterians - Colleges and Universities

I am not a Presbyterian, but I do admire their contribution to American history.  In Texas a committee is rewriting the American history books used in Texas schools but I doubt they will note the contributions of Presbyterians or of Scots for that matter, in the founding of our country.  I believe that Scots and the Presbyterian church gave us the victory in the Revolution of 1776.  I believe they also helped established the ideas of freedom found in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

If you doubt these statements, I would urge you to read,  They Seek A Country by Gaius Jackson Slosser,  published in 1955.

Nine of our Presidents have been Presbyterians and 12 have been Vice-Presidents.  Condoleeza Rice is also listed as a member of the church.

I have been studying and writing about colleges and universities in Illinois with a Scottish heritage.  They all have a Presbyterian connection. In the appendix of the above mentioned book, there is a listing of educational institutions related to American Presbyterians.  The list is old, but at lest will give some indication of the trend.

Sixteen colleges and universities are listed "which the Presbyterians had an important, if not dominant, part in founding."  Here is a partial list: Princeton University; Washington and Lee University; The University of Pittsburgh; The University of Tennessee;  Ohio University; Miami University, Oxford, Ohio; and the University of California at Berkeley.

Eight colleges and universities founded by Presbyterians and Congregationalists under the Plan of 1801.  Here are some of those in Illinois: Illinois College, Jacksonville, IL.  (Now Presbyterian  U.S.A.) Knox College, Galesburg, IL.  (Later Congregational) Rockford College, Rockford, IL.  (Later Congregational)

Fifty-one "institutions founded by Presbyterians which now hold an affiliated relation to some Presbyterian denomination.  This implies neither legal ties nor ecclesiastical control:" Blackburn  College, Carlinville, IL.; Monmouth College, Monmouth, IL.; Lake Forest College, Lake Forest, IL. and James Millikin University, Decatur, IL.

Nine Junior Colleges are listed including, Lincoln Junior College, Lincoln, IL.

Twenty-one colleges and universities are listed in foreign lands, including 7 in China.  This list was published in 1955, so I wonder how many are still in existence in China?

Americans owe a debt of gratitude to those Scottish Presbyterians who were hardened by a sojourn in Northern Ireland and came to America with a burning desire for freedom and were willing to fight and die if necessary.