History
Earlham was founded in 1847 as a boarding high school for the religious education of Quaker adolescents. In 1859, Earlham became Earlham College, upon the addition of collegiate academics. At this time, Earlham was the second Quaker college in the United States (Haverford College was first), and the second to be coeducational (Oberlin College was first). Though the college initially only admitted students who belonged to the Religious Society of Friends, Earlham began admitting non-Quakers in 1865. The college was named for Earlham Hall, home of the Gurneys, an important English Quaker family.
Over time, as Quakerism in America became more progressive, Earlham's practices changed with them, though the college has remained faithful to its Quaker roots. In 1942 Earlham enrolled several dozen Japanese-American students to prevent their internment during World War II, a decision that was very controversial in Richmond. 1960 marked the establishment of the Earlham School of Religion as the only Friends seminary in the world.
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