Berea College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in Berea, Kentucky. It was established in 1855 by John G. Fee, a Protestant clergyman. Fee was an outspoken opponent of slavery and wanted to found a school that would provide a good education for men and women of all races. Supporters of slavery forced Fee and his teachers to leave Kentucky in 1859. But Fee continued to raise money for the school, and he returned in 1865, after the American Civil War ended and slavery was abolished.
For the remainder of the 1800’s, enrollment at Berea College was divided evenly between black and white students. In 1904, the Kentucky General Assembly passed the Day Law, which prohibited the education of black and white students together. Berea College then became a school for white students only, but it set aside money to help establish the Lincoln Institute near Louisville for black students. In 1950, the Day Law was amended to allow integration at schools above the high school level. Berea College immediately reopened to black students, the first college in Kentucky to do so. The college’s athletic teams are called the Mountaineers.
The college’s website at https://www.berea.edu/ offers additional information.
