06/06/1787 AD founded
Franklin College was named for Benjamin Franklin, who donated £200 to the new institution, founded by four prominent ministers from the German Reformed Church and the Lutheran Church, in conjunction with numerous Philadelphians, the school was established as a German college whose goal was "to preserve our present republican system of government," and "to promote those improvements in the arts and sciences which alone render nations respectable, great and happy." Its first trustees included five signers of the Declaration of Independence, two members of the Constitutional Convention and seven officers of the Revolutionary War.
The school's first classes were taught on July 16, 1787, with instruction taking place in both English and German, making it the first bilingual college in the USA.
The first class consisted of 78 men and 36 women; Franklin was the first college in the United States to accept female students. "However, the coed policy was soon abandoned. Coeducation was not revived at the College for another 182 years."
Lattitude: 40.0397° N
Longitude: 76.3044° W
Region: North America
Modern Day United States
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Franklin & Marshall College Private liberal arts col...
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