Expansion of Harvard College

Timeline

1. 1650Cambridge, Massachusetts · CambridgeOn May 31, 1650, the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony formally issued the charter of Harvard College, establishing the corporate body 'President and Fellows of Harvard College' and granting the college permanent legal status and property-management rights. This charter is one of the earliest legal documents of higher education in colonial North America, laying the institutional foundation for Harvard's continued operation over the next three and a half centuries. First president Henry Dunster had already established a complete undergraduate curriculum framework during his tenure, and the charter confirmed its institutionalization.
2. 1654–1659Cambridge, Massachusetts · CambridgeIn 1654, President Henry Dunster was forced to resign and face judicial inquiry after publicly expressing theological opposition to infant baptism; Charles Chauncy succeeded him (1654–1672). Chauncy upheld the classical Greek and Roman educational tradition, strengthening instruction in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin while maintaining theology's core place. During this period Harvard graduated about ten to twenty students per year, most entering Puritan churches as ministers or serving as colonial officials, becoming the main channel for New England elite reproduction. Harvard's graduate network also strengthened cultural cohesion among the colonies.