The University Charter (Julianne Vogel)

The University of Georgia Charter written in 1785 by Abraham Baldwin

This document, the original charter of The University of Georgia, is pictured as a symbol of the creation of the University of Georgia. This document has been transcripted for easy access by E. Merton Coulter and John O. Eldson one hundred sixty-six years after its printing, due to the document being extremely faded and worn. This charter was written in 1785 and transcripted and printed in 1951. The charter details that it is of dire importance to correctly shape the minds of youth, stating “Our present happiness joined to pleasing prospects should conspire to make us feel ourselves under the strongest obligation to form the youth, the rising hope of our Land,” and therefore the first state chartered public university, the University of Georgia, was established. The General Assembly recognized the importance of forming a youth that could lead the nation into the future. This establishment was completed with a majority vote from the Senatus Academicus, a combination of the Board of Visitors and the Board of Trustees. The charter, in act, is used to create the University and its rules and ordinances, stating the ideals that the University will follow for years to come. The document was written by Abraham Baldwin and signed by the speaker, Joseph Habersham. The authoring of the monumental charter, in addition to his nationwide influence “transform[ing] higher education across America,” is why Abraham Baldwin is considered “the Founding Father of public higher education in America” by the University of Georgia and UGAToday (UGAToday). Baldwin not only wrote the charter, but served as the University’s president and went on to cast a vote of utmost importance at the United States constitutional convention. The University of Georgia is honored to have been created by such an influential American.

SECONDARY SOURCE CITATIONS

“Abraham Baldwin: The Founding Father of Public Higher Education in America.” UGA Today, University of Georgia, 30 June 2018, news.uga.edu/abraham-baldwin-the-founding-father-of-public-higher-education-in-america/.

Boney, F N, and University of Georgia Press. “History of UGA.” University of Georgia, University of Georgia, www.uga.edu/history.php.

“Georgia Incorporates the First State University.” Edited by History.com Editors, History.com, A&E Television Networks, 13 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/georgia-incorporates-the-first-state-university.