It is clear that higher education in the United States has undergone an enormous transformation since its origins in the mid-1600s. From schools whose sole function was the training of ministers to universities contemporary free and open access, both society and culture have had enormous effects on the evolution of higher education in America. This article will explore those transformations related to the themes intertwined across the ten generations identified by. It will also offer evidence to support the theme identified by each generation. First Generation The first generation of higher education in America saw the development of colleges as appendages or outgrowths of their respective churches. The three original colleges of the colonies Harvard, Yale, and William and Mary all sought to educate their students as ministers. Preparation for the ministry was believed to be based on a liberal education that included studies focusing on the classical languages ​​and the three philosophies of ethics, metaphysics, and science. Second Generation The second generation of higher education in America saw a break from the purely religious institutions of the first generation to a more secular educational model. Furthermore, the teaching model has changed from that of tutors to that of more competent teaching. Instead of primarily educating men for the clergy as in the previous generation, existing colleges now also sought to educate a growing class of gentlemen pursuing professional and mercantile careers. (Geiger, 2005) Third Generation In this generation of higher education in America, several elements gained critical importance, including the idea of ​​a republican education combined with the influences of E...... middle of paper .. ....for and/or purpose is nebulous. The context of the introduction is general and/or the scope is broad; and/or the conclusion identifies the basic elements of the document and/or addresses the purpose in a universal way. The context of the introduction is accurate to the content of the sources and the purpose is provided. The conclusion summarizes the main elements of the document and reiterates its purpose./15 Writing competence Little evidence of coherence and adherence to appropriate writing standards. There were significant errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and/or capitalization, and/or the APA was not followed carefully. There were minor errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and/or capitalization, and/or minor errors with APA. Comments were expressed clearly, without typos, grammatical and/or spelling errors, and APA was followed./15 Total /60