ROTC’s roots date back to 1819 when Norwich University was established as the first private college with a military curriculum. The Morill Act of 1862 mandated military curriculum at newly established land-grant universities, leading to the nationwide undergraduate military programs that culminated in ROTC. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Defense Act, formally establishing ROTC. The history of ROTC has been one of steady growth, with occasional periods of controversy, including the Vietnam War and the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Despite this, ROTC continues to thrive in American universities.
Although the Reserve Officers’ Training Corp (ROTC) was not officially established in the United States until 1916, the roots of ROTC history go back to the early 1800s. The seeds for what would grow in ROTC were planted at Norwich University in the Vermont in 1819, then known as the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy. The founder, Captain Alden Partridge, established the institution as the first private college with a military curriculum. Decades later, in 1862, with the passage of the Morill Act, otherwise known as the Land Grand College Act, the military curriculum was mandated at every newly established land-grant university, ushering in a nationwide series of undergraduate military programs that would eventually culminate ROTC.
It is widely recognized by US universities and military branches that the University of Norwich provided the genesis of ROTC. Captain Partridge was a man dedicated to creating a university that could prepare students for civilian or military jobs. Partridge’s ideology was a natural outgrowth of his past as an alumnus and former superintendent of West Point Military Academy. Partridge juxtaposed academic subjects that, at the time, were rarely, if ever, seen under the same educational roof. Students could pursue a liberal art and military education simultaneously. His academic innovation paved the way for the type of accessible ROTC education prevalent today.
In 1862, Congress passed the Morill Act, which included legislation that grant-granting universities must include a curriculum in military tactics. The result was a wealth of new universities, mostly public, which now offered the kind of military education Norwich had pioneered. There was as yet no federal program under which all military education was grouped, but with all the right elements in place, this would prove to be a natural progression in ROTC history.
In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the National Defense Act, which formally established ROTC as a national tool for preparing students for military service. The Army was the first branch of the military to establish a ROTC, and soon after, the Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps developed their own programs. The US Coast Guard was the only branch of the military that did not establish an ROTC.
Since the passage of the National Defense Act, the history of ROTC has been one of steady growth, with occasional periods of controversy. One such period occurred in the 1960s, when many Vietnam War student protesters began pushing against the longstanding practice of mandatory enrollment in ROTC programs. The legendary antiwar fervor of that period caused the government to revise the mandatory ROTC policy, and in 1962 the policy was changed to voluntary membership. The women’s rights movement also impacted the history of ROTC, leading to policy changes in the 1960s and 1970s that gave women the ability to participate in ROTC for the first time.
In the 1990s, some universities dropped ROTC programs in opposition to the military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. The policy has encouraged homosexual members of the military to hide their sexual orientation or face possible discharge. Despite the controversy, however, ROTC has continued to thrive in American universities.
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