Harvard University was the first college in the American colonies to be founded. Initially approved without a name, the university was established in 1636 by the Great and General Court of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England who was approved £400 toward establishing the university. (Mtadmin, 2024) Harvard came to be known as the first private university. 

Archives: The Harvard University Archive has over 800 administrative, research, and academic items that keep the universities history of around the past 400 years. These archives include the materials that we will be exploring deeper in the next pages.

William and Mary University was the second institution of higher education to be founded in America. The school was officially chartered in 1693, but is said to have plans for establishment that date back to 1618.  King William III and Queen Mary II of England signed the charter on February 8th, 1693 for a college to be established in the Virginia colony. (W&M Website, History and Traditions)

Archives: The William and Mary Special Collections Resource Center has sadly seen great destruction to their resources. 1705, 1859, and 1862 brought about fires that destroyed large portions of the collection. Some of the texts we will see from this archive are historical copies of the primary documents.