The History of Dartmouth College

Here is a-window into a young nation's ambitious experiment in education. Published in 1884, this authoritative history traces Dartmouth College from its improbable founding in 1769 through its formative decades, centering on the singular figure of Eleazar Wheelock, a Puritan missionary whose radical idea was to educate Native American youth as a path to both Christian conversion and societal advancement. Smith draws on extensive primary sources to reconstruct Wheelock's struggle: the failed earlier attempts at similar institutions, the skepticism of colonial authorities, the tireless fundraising among English dissenters, and the delicate work of building a college that would serve both Indigenous and white students. The book captures a moment when higher education in America was not yet a privilege of the elite but a revolutionary act of faith. For anyone curious about how Ivy League institutions actually began, or the complex origins of American higher education, this remains a valuable and surprisingly readable primary document.