Liberalizing the Mind

Liberalizing the Mind provides a comprehensive narrative history of Franklin & Marshall College. This volume 1 account details the institution's origins in 1787 as the first American college founded to educate students of German ethnic background. Rooted in the German Reformed denomination of Protestantism, the school evolved from a small classical college into a preeminent liberal arts institution.

This history of higher education in the United States examines institutional development through a social science lens. The text analyzes the college's transformation across the 19th century and 20th century, focusing on the Middle Atlantic region of Pennsylvania. It integrates detailed accounts of the school's experiences during the Civil War and the social unrest of the 1960s to illustrate the broader evolution of American academic organizations.