The Early Years of UVA: 1800s Written
Exam Questions & Answers.
Was there celebration when UVa first opened it's doors in 1825? - CORRECT ANSWER No, there was little
fanfare; there were probably ~40 students, which included two of Jefferson's grandsons: James Madison
Randolph and Benjamin Franklin Randolph. Likely disappointing as UVa could accommodate at least 218
(and probably 50 more in off-grounds housing)
When was the first day of session supposed to be? - CORRECT ANSWER February 1, but this was
postponed because not all of the professors had arrived to fill their posts yet
How did Jefferson involve himself with the first students? - CORRECT ANSWER In addition to frequenting
the University when he was able, he would also invite the first students to dinner at Monticello.
Was construction finished when the first students arrived? - CORRECT ANSWER No- most of the Lawn
had been completed, but free and enslaved laborers still worked to finish the Rotunda (and they'd soon
be working to finish the Anatomical village nearby)
What was one of the reasons for a large influx of students, fairly quickly? - CORRECT ANSWER UVa
initially had no summer break; the session began Feb 1 and ended Dec 15, classes Mon-Sat. Students
were unengaged over the summer, and by September 30, 1825, the student body was about 116
What was the minimum age of admission for the University? - CORRECT ANSWER 16; students were
expected to present a certificate from a lower seminary before being able to matriculate (UVa was
meant to be an institution of graduate studies conferring only the highest degrees on students... but the
faculty and BOV had to relax standards when they found the minimal prep of many students.
What was the typical early UVA student like? - CORRECT ANSWER Hailed from Virginia, the South and
the West. Considering there was still no free public education on the primary or secondary level,
education was still a privilege of the wealthier planter and merchant classes. Because of TJ's elaborate
architectural endeavors, UVa became the most expensive college in the South.
, Who were the original 9 professors? - CORRECT ANSWER 7 hailed from Europe; the law professor,
mandated Jefferson, was a Virginian: Professor John Tayloe Lomax (apptd 1826). He practiced Law in Va
since 1797 and could therefore teach students the Jeffersonian tradition of govt.
What was originally taught in Pav I? - CORRECT ANSWER Natural History (Emmett) botany, zoology,
mineralogy, chemistry, geology, and rural economy
What was originally taught in Pav II? - CORRECT ANSWER Anatomy (Johnson) - surgery etc.
What was originally taught in Pav III? - CORRECT ANSWER Law (Lomax) - Common and Statute Law that
of the Chancery, the laws feudal, civil, mercatorial, maritime and of Nature and Nations, and also the
principles of govt. and political economy
What was originally taught in Pav IV? - CORRECT ANSWER Modern Languages (Blaetterman) French,
Spanish, Italian, German, English lang in its Anglo-Saxon form, also modern history and modern
geography
What was originally taught in Pav V? - CORRECT ANSWER Ancient Languages (Long) higher grade of Latin
and Greek languages, the Hebrew, rhetoric, ancient history and ancient geography...
What was originally taught in Pav VI? - CORRECT ANSWER Natural Philosophy (Bonnycastle) -
mechanices, statics, hydrostatics, hydraulics, pneumatics, acoustics, optics, and astronomy...
What was originally taught in Pav VII? - CORRECT ANSWER Original library, then administrative offices
What was originally taught in Pav VIII? - CORRECT ANSWER Mathematics (Key)- arithmetic, algebra,
trigonometry, geometry, mensuration, navigation, military and civil architecture etc...
What was originally taught in Pav IX? - CORRECT ANSWER Moral Philosophy (Tucker) - ideology, general
grammar, logic, and ethics
What was originally taught in Pav X? - CORRECT ANSWER Medicine (Dunglison) - history of the progress
and theories of medicine, physiology, pathology, materia medica & pharmacy
