Sonya Neilson & Heather Moraru
The enactment of the Hatch Act of 1887 came in connection with the Morrill Act of 1862. The Morrill Act grants states land for the establishment of colleges and universities. The Hatch Act follows with additional federal grant funds for each state establishing an agricultural experiment station in association with the land-grant college.
American life in and around 1887 involved civil rights issues, labor concerns, and recovery from the Civil War. Grover Cleveland served as President from 1884 until 1892 (World Book, 2001). As the first Democratic President since the Civil War, Cleveland’s honesty and common sense restored the American people’s confidence in their government. Many civil rights movements and labor strikes swept the nation during this period of our history. This was a time quite different from our own; a time of ‘separate but equal,’ use of military force to end labor strikes, harsh labor conditions, and low wages. Though the Industrial Revolution had begun over a century before, agriculture was still an important part of American life during the late 1800s.
The purpose of the Hatch Act of 1887 was to establish agricultural experiment stations in States that established colleges under the Morrill Act. During this time, many farmers were in great debt. It appears that the government saw our country’s knowledge concerning agriculture as lacking and thus a direct cause of these failings in our agriculture industry. In response, the government implemented this provision of the law in order to provide funding to those states willing to conduct research in the area of agriculture. Such research conducted at these stations needed to include those on the physiology of plants and animals; diseases and remedies of plants and animals; comparative advantages of crop rotation; capacity of plants to acclimate; analysis of soil and water; analysis of various types of fertilization and their comparative effects on crops; digestibility of foods for farm animals; and any other research deemed directly related to and beneficial for the United States agriculture industry (NASULGC, n.d.).
Furthermore, the purpose of the Hatch Act is for the promotion of efficient production, distribution, marketing, and use of products and or methods that promote a prosperous agriculture industry and thus national prosperity. Since the industrial area of our economy received significant efforts and money for the purposes of research, Congress felt the need to create and maintain an equitable balance among all areas of our economy. Creating such an equitable balance will, in turn, increase the economic security of our nation.
Congress authorizes the federal grants given to each state. The basis for the amount each state receives is the need of the state as determined by Congress. Each October, a decision is made determining each states eligibility for federal funds and the amount of funds given. Each state receiving federal funding receives an annual distribution for the amount determined by Congress. In turn, the state must submit an annual report of receipts and expenditures to the Secretary of Agriculture. This report shows the Secretary exactly how the state used their federal grant funds. If any of the annual funds are not used by the state, then next year’s annual distribution is reduced by the amount of unused funds. Moreover, if a state established more than one college under the Morrill Act, then the federal funds provided to that state are divided among the applicable institutions.
The Hatch Act provided much needed additional funds for the improvement of Vocational Education. Without the funds provided in this Act, it is quite possible that many of the colleges established under the Morrill Act may have floundered in their attempt to provide beneficial agricultural research.
http://www.nasulgc.org/publications/Land_Grant/Hatch.htm
http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/www/hatch.html
Act of 1887 Establishing Agricultural Experiment Stations. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2001 from http://www.oardc.ohil-state.edu/www/hatch/html
NASULGC. (n.d.). The land grant tradition: text of federal legislation relating to land-grant colleges and universities. Retrieved October 18, 2001 from http://nasulgc.org/publications/Land_Grant/Hatch.htm
World Book Encyclopedia 2001. (2001). World Book, Inc. Chicago. Volume 4, 9.