Amid Row With Trump, A Look At The History Of Prestigious Harvard University

News18

25-05-2025

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Harvard University has had disputes with federal governments. In 1970s, it adapted to race and gender equity mandates. During the Cold War, it was accused of having Communist ties
The row between US President Donald Trump and Harvard University has brought attention to the historical significance of the Ivy League institution, its contribution towards American education and the political challenges it has faced over centuries.
The Harvard University has been in Trump's hair since January, when he took office, over issues related to academic freedom, campus protests, federal oversight and immigration.
The recent order, which was revoked by a federal judge, to bar the Harvard University from enrolling international students, has been the latest aggressive stance against the institution by the Trump administration.
Foreign students constitute more than a quarter of the university's strength for the past three years.
Let us look at the history of the university, which is often described as 'older than the United States".
When Was Harvard Founded?
The university was established in 1636, and was founded by the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was named after John Harvard, a Puritan minister whose bequeathed his library and half his estate to lay the foundation for the college.
Initially focused on training clergy, the college evolved into a broader liberal arts institution by the 18th century, educating early American leaders like John Adams (Class of 1755), the second US President.
By 19th century, Harvard expanded to establishing academic schools like the Harvard Law (1817) and Harvard Medical School (1782). It became a melting pot for intellectual and cultural elites, with figures like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau among its alumni. The university's endowment grew, laying the foundation for its financial strength, though it remained tied to traditional hierarchies.
Under President like Charles W. Eliot (1869–1909), Harvard transformed into a modern research university, stressing on the value of meritocracy, sciences, and elective curricula. It navigated tensions during national crises, such as World War II, when federal partnerships for research funding began, a practice now central to the Trump dispute.
The 20th century also saw Harvard's global influence grow, with alumni including eight US presidents (John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Rutherford B. Hayes)
Post-World War II, the institution faced federal pressure to comply with civil rights and gender equity mandates in the 1970s, agreeing to race and gender targets and oversight, as noted in a 2025 post by @harvardrepclub. It provided financial aid, launched initiatives like the Radcliffe Institute under President Drew Faust (2007-2018), and co-founded edX with MIT for online learning. However, it also faced criticism for elitism and disconnect from broader American sentiment.
What's The Recent Dispute With Trump?
Over the past few months, the Ivy League institution has been in the crosshairs of the Trump administration over pro-Palestinian protests following the Hamas-Israel conflict and alleged ideological biases.
In March 2025, the Trump administration demanded Harvard eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes, audit faculty and student viewpoints, and cooperate with federal oversight, citing alleged civil rights violations and anti-semitism during campus protests. When Harvard did not comply, the administration froze $2.3 billion in federal funding (mostly research grants) and later cut an additional $450 million.
On May 22, the Department of Homeland Security revoked Harvard's ability to enroll international students via the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), affecting 6,800 international students (27% of its student body). A federal judge temporarily blocked this action following a lawsuit filed by Harvard.
In response, Harvard's President Alan Garber called Trump's action an attack on academic freedom, arguing they violate Harvard's First Amendment rights and exceed federal authority. On April 14, Harvard sued the administration in federal court, calling the funding freeze 'arbitrary and capricious." A temporary injunction on May 23, 2025, blocked the SEVP revocation, providing relief to international students. Garber allocated $250 million from Harvard's endowment to support affected research, signalling defiance.
More than 200 university presidents, including those from Princeton, Brown and Columbia signed a joint statement to condemn Trump's 'government overreach".
The Harvard University has had periodic tensions with federal governments.
In the 1970s, Harvard adapted to federal mandates on race and gender equity, suggesting a precedent for negotiation.
During the Cold War Era, during McCarthyism, universities faced scrutiny for alleged communist ties. But Harvard resisted loyalty oaths and maintained academic autonomy, a stance mirrored in Garber's defiance.
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Harvard navigated student activism in the 1960s-70s, balancing free speech with institutional stability, similar to today's protest-related tensions.
Harvard's defiance could galvanise other universities to resist Trump's government's aggressive policies. The outcome may shape the balance between federal oversight and academic independence, and the American higher education system.
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