{"href":"https://api.simplecast.com/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fon-the-yard.simplecast.com%2Fepisodes%2Fthe-birth-of-a-new-nation-oWjqUQFj","width":444,"version":"1.0","type":"rich","title":"The Birth of a New Nation","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/a4944b9b-c666-4ab0-84ad-9c969c991bdc/662c170e-6db8-41bf-af01-ec545ba516b0/the_birth_of_a_new_nation_episode_artwork.jpg","thumbnail_height":300,"provider_url":"https://simplecast.com","provider_name":"Simplecast","html":"","height":200,"description":" On March 2, 1867, U.S. President Andrew Johnson signed the Congressional Charter for Howard University, making it one of only two universities in the country whose existence was enshrined in federal law. The university was named after one of its most notable founders – Civil War general and president of the Freedmen's Bureau, Oliver Otis Howard.\n\nHoward University’s origins, in every respect, aligned with the birth of a new nation. And its role in shaping that new nation and the course of American history cannot be overstated. \n\nOn this episode of On the Yard, Dr. Benjamin Talton, director of MSRC, is joined by Sonja Woods, university archivist for MSRC, and Howard alum Abdur-Rahman Muhammad. Together, they discuss the socio-political context surrounding Howard’s founding, and the historical figures who dreamed of a university that transcended racial and gender lines. \n\nEpisode Guide:\n00:00 The Founding of Howard University\n01:36 Guest Introductions and Personal Howard Connections\n02:54 Howard's Unique Position Among HBCUs\n06:29 Early Challenges and Visionaries\n18:58 The Role of the Freedmen's Bureau\n25:44 Howard's Legacy and Influence\n32:31 The Push for a Black President\n36:18 Conclusion and Final Thoughts\n\nOn the Yard is a production of The Moorland-Spingarn Research Center at Howard University and is produced by University FM.\n\n\nEpisode Quotes:\n\nHoward was a vision way ahead of this time\n07:06: [Abdur-Rahman Muhammad] It appears that Howard was conceived as a racially integrated university, you know, that that was actually the vision. It was an anomaly. It was an anomaly. It was far ahead of its time. People at the time didn't know what to make of it. You know, is this a Black university? Is this a white university? I mean, what's going on here? You know, you have to remember, Howard was founded almost a year and a half before the ratification of the 14th Amendment. Okay? I mean, just think about that, because education, the college degree, it supplies you with more than the ability to prosper in the job market. Education is a sign of social status, right? Even today, maybe one out of 10 people have a college… I mean, to have a college degree really meant that you were, kind of, a somebody.\n\nAbdur’s Howard origin story\n01:42: [Abdur-Rahman Muhammad] Well, I first stepped foot on Howard's campus in 1979. That's the first time I visited the campus. And I enrolled the next year, 1980, in the Center for Academic Reinforcement, as it was called back then, the CAR Center. From Providence, Rhode Island, originally, I was part of the class of 1984, although that's not exactly when I walked. You know, that's one of those Howard stories. I actually took my degree sometime later, but I was, you know, class of 1984. I was here with so many illustrious personalities at that time, and I had a wonderful Howard experience and just fell in love with this venerable institution, this magical place.\n\nHoward was unique from the very beginning\n04:01: [Sonja Woods] What makes Howard different from the very beginning is that it was, unlike Morehouse and Spelman, co-ed from the beginning. There's a committee of founders at Howard. There's 17 men... And then we're in D.C., so it's a federal location, different type of municipality. It's the South, but it's the federal city.\n\nShow Links: \nThe Moorland-Spingarn Research Center\nFollow MSRC on Instagram and YouTube"}