Fraternities founded from 1825-1859

This group of fraternities share a number of things in common. Colleges at this time in history were almost exclusively for white Anglo-Saxon Protestant upper-class males. The predominant curricula available was for the ministry, medicine, or law. All of these organizations were student-derived, being founded by students without any assistance from adults. Most of these organizations were founded as a protest against domination of student activities dictated by a strict university administration. As one group formed, others sprang up to compete. These groups developed primarily because students wanted to have some control over their lives and activities and because they wanted to complement what was being dogmatically taught in the classroom. These organizations fostered independent thought and creativity. The student activities were highly structured by the administration, the curriculum was lock-step or prescribed by the university, most of the regulations  were very strict, and there were few opportunities for students to have any social interaction. These organizations, out of necessity, were highly secretive. The faculty felt threatened by these groups and the members were often sought out for punishment or expulsion. All of these groups were sectarian.