During this period, American universities were still in the planning stages, and those prestigious schools of the future were now insignificant.
The precursor to the University of California was a private college founded in 1853 in the Oakland area; in 1855, the college was authorized to establish "California College."
The college subsequently purchased about 160 acres of land that now belongs to the University of California, Berkeley, and with the California State Legislature's Standing Committee's action in 1866, based on the Morrill Land-Grant Acts signed by Lincoln, it acquired its present outline.
The founder was Henry Durant, an alumnus of Yale University and a clergyman of the Congregational Church, and American universities all had a collegiate system.
At first, the college was extremely lacking in funds, and by the time it had reached a certain size, it was short of land resources.
