Dartmouth College. United Fraternity
Social fraternities at Dartmouth College grew out of a tradition of student literary societies that began in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The first such society at Dartmouth, the Social Friends, was formed in 1783. A rival organization, called the United Fraternity, was founded in 1786. These organizations were, in large part, the only social life available to students at the college. The organizations hosted debates on a variety of topics not encountered in the curriculum of the day, and amassed large libraries of titles not found in the official College library. Both the Social Friends and the United Fraternity created libraries in Dartmouth Hall, and met in a room called Society Hall inside Dartmouth Hall. In 1815, the college decided to intervene in the hotly contested recruitment battle between the Social Friends and the United Fraternity by restricting each society to recruit only from separate halves of the new student class. In 1825, the college began simply assigning new students to one society or the other. Interest in the literary societies declined in the 1830s and 1840s.
Found in 5 Collections and/or Records:
Dartmouth College United Fraternity membership certificate
Mss 789475.4
Collection
Identifier: Mss 789475.4
Overview
In English.
Social Friend and United Fraternity report
Mss 814590
Collection
Identifier: Mss 814590
Scope and Contents
Report of the Committee regarding membership.
Social Friends and United Fraternities amendment
Mss 815615.1
Collection
Identifier: Mss 815615.1
Overview
In English.
United Fraternity & Social Friends letter
Mss 796607.1
Collection
Identifier: Mss 796607.1
Scope and Contents
Letter from United Fraternity and Social Friends with a rushing agreement of United Confederacy.
United Fraternity and Social Friends vote
Mss 812900.1
Collection
Identifier: Mss 812900.1
Scope and Contents
Vote to fit up lecture room (Society Hall) as a meeting place for the two fraternities.