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ISU displays document that helped establish universityAMES, Iowa (AP)--Through thick Plexiglas, inside a climate-controlled case, visitors to Iowa State University can take a look at how it all began. The Morrill Act, a handwritten 146-year-old document that bears the signature of President Abraham Lincoln, revolutionized higher education in America. It also paved the way for the construction of Iowa State. "It's one of the top legislative acts ever passed by Congress, without a doubt," said Tanya Zanish-Belcher, head of special collections and the university archives for the Iowa State University library. "It opened up education for all. Folks who never would have thought about going to college were, for the first time, considering it." The document is rarely displayed, but it will be on display at Iowa State beginning Saturday, as the university celebrates its sesquicentennial--150th--anniversary. Before the Morrill Act was signed into law, higher education in the United States was generally reserved for the children of the wealthy or those headed for careers in law, medicine, the military or the ministry. Lincoln signed the document on July 2, 1862 and helped to move education into the reaches of the common person, said Jerome Thompson, state curator for the State Historical Society of Iowa. The legislation prompted the creation of institutions that focused on agriculture and trade skills that were open to men and women, regardless of family income. The so-called "land-grant" colleges were dubbed so because the federal government donated federal lands in each state to be sold to finance the schools and keep costs affordable for students. In Iowa, Thompson said, this land amounted to some 200,000 acres with a value of about $1.25 an acre. That eventually became Iowa State. The Morrill Act is the centerpiece of an exhibit that celebrates Iowa State's 150th birthday following its establishment on March 22, 1858. Other items on display include a hammer used in the construction of Old Main, old photographs and the first diploma awarded by Iowa State in 1872. 4/7/08 Date: 4/2/08
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