In 1856, a man named Amos Kendall donated 2 acres of land to make way for a school for the deaf and blind. The next year, he worked with congress to incorporate the new school.
Gallaudet gets Bigger
In 1864, Abraham Lincoln gave the school the ability to grant college degrees. Edward Miner Gallaudet, the previous Superintendent became the president of the school.
The First Deaf President
In 1894, the name was changed to Gallaudet in honor of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, the father of Edward Miner Gallaudet. In 1954 the government changed the name of the whole institution to gallaudet.
Today
In 1967, President Lyndon Johnson allowed the formation of the MSSD, and later an elementary school for the deaf and blind. These organizations would soon be functioning with Gallaudet College.
In 1986, Gallaudet became a University as granted by congress. In 1988, the Deaf President Now movement gave Gallaudet University its first deaf president.
Now, Gallaudet is one of the most common places viewed as a safe and effective learning environment for people both hearing and deaf.