Dartmouth 250 Curriculum Vitae

The scope and nature of instruction at Dartmouth College are clearly shown in a commencement from 1786 featuring oration and debate in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.

A shelf of books reflecting the original holdings of Dartmouth’s library administered by Bezaleel Woodward, professor and first librarian.

A generation of Dartmouth students used Professor John Smith’s New Hampshire Latin Grammar published in 1802. Smith even sent a copy to Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson thanked him, and added: “I am pleased with every effort to facilitate the acquisition of the Greek & Latin languages.”

An image of the college by George Ticknor 1807 presented to Dartmouth’s President John Wheelock in 1803. Ticknor later became Harvard's first professor of modern languages.

An orrery is a mechanical model which depicts, and sometimes predicts, the relative position of the planets and the Earth and its moon. Collectively, astronomy and other emerging modern sciences were part of “Natural Philosophy” in Dartmouth’s curriculum.

An 1805 statement of the College's requirements, including its prescribed texts. Included are modern works of political thought by Montesquieu and Locke as well as Ancient texts.

Professor James Freeman Dana opened his 1823 lecture on agriculture to "any gentleman or practical farmer" without charge, anticipating the link between post-Civil War public land-grant universities and agricultural outreach.

In 1820 James Freeman Dana became Dartmouth's first professor of chemistry. Here, a positive review of his textbook for students, founded on Dana’s instruction and research.

A widely circulated nineteenth-century illustration of Dartmouth College.

Known as “Grahamism,”Sylvester Graham’s rigorous program prescribed cold-water baths and vegetarianism for good health. Here, an excerpt from an 1837 letter describes the popularity of the regimen with some Dartmouth students.

Student authors often celebrated the life of the mind. Here, an author in the 1840s exercises his skills and learning to criticize the power of mere opinion and political party to undermine the republic.

An excerpt from a Skeptical of popular institutions of education, an anonymous student author presents a scathing indictment of the “People’s Literary Institute and Gymnasium” advertised at Pembroke, New Hampshire.

In the 1840s, critical thinking was beginning to be prized as a part of a liberal education. Here, a timeless excerpt from Crito encourages students to observe personal introspection in the liberal arts.

A twentieth-century display of eighteenth-century scientific apparatus used in the pursuit of “natural philosophy.”

A mid-nineteenth-century view of Dartmouth’s medical school; behind and to the right, the observatory. Liberal and professional education are embodied alongside each other in this image.