Missouri’s connection to the Civil War goes beyond the battlefield and into the classrooms of Lincoln University. After the last cannons had been fired, the battle continued, this time to educate the disenfranchised former slaves and provide them with the foundation for a better life as newly freed men and women.
Fighting on the front line of this brave new endeavor were the founding fathers of Lincoln University- the men of the 62nd and 65th colored Infantry.
“Here these men had a dream, they ran away, they joined the military, they served their country, and for them they had won their freedom and their citizenship.”
As the Civil War drew to a close, these men knew that they had the opportunity to provide more than just a future for themselves and their families, but for other Missourians as well.
“In 1865 at Ft. McIntosh Texas the 62nd Colored Infantry Soldiers decided that since they’d had the opportunity to be educated while they were in the military that they wanted that same opportunity for African Americans at home in Missouri. The 65th which was also a group of Missouri African Americans decided that they would also contribute to this cause. So they collected money, their white commanders donated money as well and they have almost $6,000 to their commander, a man by the name of Richard Foster.”
Foster’s vision for an educational utopia on the banks of the Missouri river were clearly outlined in these memoirs from Lincoln Universities historical archives…
“First, the Institute shall be designed for the special benefit of the freed blacks. Second, it shall be located in the state of Missouri. Third, its fundamental idea shall be to combine study with labor, so that the old habits of those who have always labored, but never studied, shall not be thereby changed and that the emancipated slaves, who have neither capital to spend nor time to lose, may obtain an education.
On September 17, 1866 the vision of Foster and the men of the 62nd and 65th infantry became a reality when the Lincoln Institute opened its doors.
“ At Jefferson City he got a dilapidated school building and opened it with two students, they say that the cracks in the wall were big enough to throw a cat through, but that’s where the humble beginnings of the school began.”
The original population of two students soon grew, putting a strain on the fledgling school. Donations poured in from recently emancipated slaves and local whites alike. University folklore even suggests famous outlaw Jesse James gave to the worthy cause on two separate occasions, giving gifts of five and ten dollars.
The donations kept the doors open and the dream alive.
“ They used the little money that they had and that was very little money, to make manifest something that was much larger than them. Something that they wouldn’t necessarily be able to use because the money for the school didn’t necessarily mean that they were going to go to the school. So what we want our students to understand is that you don’t have to come from a lot, you don’t have to have a lot, but if you have a dream and you’re willing to really commit to that dream and work towards making that dream manifest, then that is the important thing.”
Today Lincoln University continues to provide an outstanding education for its diverse student body while maintaining a close tie to the community of Jefferson City that helped the school through its most challenging years. Today the campus is home to over 3,000 students and holds the honor of being the only institute of higher education in the nation to be founded by veterans of the Civil War.