The legislation, introduced by Senator Justin Smith Morrill (R-VT), was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on 2 July of that year. While some historians claim it days as far back as 1819 with the establishment of the American Literary, Scientific, and Military Academy (now known as Norwich University), others consider the Morrill Act of 1862 to be the enabler.
Though this presentation celebrates the centennial of ROTC, not all of its observers and boosters agree that ROTC is that young. How it came into being is an interesting story involving famous people and coincidences. In its first century, Army ROTC has turned out over a million “shavetails” for the force. In 2016, the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) celebrated its centennial as the largest producer of commissioned officers for the U.S.
