Jacqueline Soto 5/6 A
Myles Cooper
Myles Cooper was a very smart man. He was a loyalist in colonial New York. In his early life, Cooper studied at Queen’s College, Oxford. While here in Queen’s College, Cooper became a chaplain. In 1761, he became a priest in the Anglican Church and gained the attention of high clergyman, such as Thomas Secker, who later mentioned him to join the service in the
American colonies.
He was sent to New York in 1762, to help the president of King’s College, an Anglican
Establishment, Samuel Johnson. While there in King’s College, which is now Columbia College, he was made the professor of mental and moral philosophy, which focused on views and methods from the philosophy of mind. A year after he became a professor, he achieved the role of the college presidency. The reason he was chosen to replace Samuel Johnson for the position was because it was believed that he was easier to control according to the Governors of the institution. He was not truly excited to become the president because he was more drawn towards alcoholic beverages rather than books, but even tho he did not seem to glad, the college flourished under his presidency. In 1776, the college created the second medical college in the
Americas.
The southern colonies always inspired Myles Cooper more rather than the northern colonies.
He suggested to move to the south and to combine the colonial colleges and turn it into an
American University. Even though it sounded like a great plan to him, he proposed the plan to
King George the Third, and when parliament received it, they never took him seriously. Besides being left hanging by parliament, he was still a huge loyalist.
He changed a lot through out the college such as rules and basically bedtimes. He issued that students have to participate in prayers that were held in the mornings and afternoons of the college. He also made a eating time line up, which was, breakfast for 45 mins and 1 hr & a half for dinner. The free time that was given to the students was during evening prayers until bed time. For every 30 mins the students were tardy from class, there was a fine of 2 pence. The gates of the outer college were locked at 10 P.M. and 9 A.M., if you tried entering the college after the gates were closed there was a fine for that as well. 6 pence for the first hour and 1 shilling for the second. Pence and shillings were a part of the currency that was used back then, there were 12 pence in 1 shilling and 20 shillings in 1 pound, but the fines issued by Cooper were never that much. Some students would try to get through or jump the gate, if so, the same penalties applied. Students, well at least for the most part, did not have any problems with these new rules, especially the medical students. The rules Myles Cooper inserted did not apply to the medical students, the fines, the punishments, and the praying. He did not address why they did not apply to them but in my opinion was because he might have felt they had to go through a lot in the medical field so they were given some leniency.
Myles Cooper later gave a speech about his advocation towards the Tory party. He also made a pamphlet aiming towards Americans, which gave the consequences of opposing King
George’s troop and other American political confusions. A student of the college anonymously responded to the address, worsening the patriot’s, the publics, outrage toward Pres. Myles
Cooper. The student later became known as Alexander Hamilton, founding father of the United
States as well as the founder of the New York Post newspaper, the nation’s financial system, the
United States Coast Guard, and the Federalist Party. With the response that Alexander Hamilton gave to the address, the public finally became so strong that a mob had began. The mob that resulted to the address entered the college on May 10, 1775. They entered in order to force harm of the Myles Cooper. They looked through out the whole college and did not find him anywhere, in the classrooms, his office, or storages. The reason for the absence of Myles Cooper was because he had already been warned of the attacks by the mob. He had already packed and was prepared for these attacks. He jumped over the college fence and left to the suburbs of the city where he found shelter in a friend’s house. The mob continued to search for Myles Cooper but they failed to do so. The next day, he carefully escaped from the city and boarded a British sloop-of-war, a 18th century warship, and began to set sail towards England.
After Myles Cooper fled to England, a committee that was set up in King’s College called the committee of safety, took charge of the college. They emptied out the library and set up a hospital. The hospital was primarily set up for the military forces of the Americans. The college later became shut down till the American Revolutionary War was over. Shortly after, there was measures taken toward the re-establishment of the college once again. In 1778, the people in charge of New York, the legislature of New York, granted the opening of the college once again but instead of it being named, King’s College, it is now going to be known as Columbia College. The named stayed as Columbia College for 118 years, until it was renamed once again by the trustees. It was then changed to Columbia University, but better known today as Columbia University in the City of New York. There was no president running the college since it was re-opened because till one was elected in 1887, due to the lack of funds.
When the reopening and renaming of the college was going on, Myles cooper had successfully made it all the way to England. He managed to escape the angry mob of Americans and was given two livings. He received one living where he previously lived, in Edinburgh. The other living, he had received, he gained in Berkshire. Things Myles Cooper work on when he settled down in England and even while he was president of King’s College, was poems. Numerous numbers of poems he had written were published. One of the poems appeared in the Gentleman’s Magazine for July 1776. The poem that appeared in the magazine was based on a true loyal British: “Nor yet for friends alone – for all, too prone to heed seduction’s call, Hear me, indulgent Heav’n! Oh, may they cast their arms away, To Thee and George submission pay, Repent, and be forgiven.” The poem he wrote expressed his loyalty to Britain and how to become as loyal as he was. The poem was published after he was chased away from the mob, even though it was after that event, the Americans might have hated him even more just by doing so. If back then Myles Cooper were to ever return to the colonies, he would have been hunted down from everyone now. Myles Cooper was put down to rest forever in Edinburgh, May 1, 1785. He was buried in a cemetery where only Episcopal ministers were laid down to rest. Usually tombstones get their names, born and death dates, and/or a quote that they liked on the tombstones. Well he himself wrote a characteristic epitaph in verse for his very own tombstone.
Myles Cooper was a big loyalist to Britain. He graduated at Oxford and later came to the America in 1762 to help former King’s College president, which he later replaced and helped the college flourish while he was president. Since Myles Cooper was a loyalist, when he made a speech regarding his view of the Americans actions towards troops sent over by King George, he was chased of out America by an angry mob where he set sail towards England. He lived his life in England to where he was finally put down to rest in 1762. Myles Cooper gave Americans more anger to the actions being put on them by England. He gave them a greater view on American should view England. This allowed for Americans to gain momentum and fight back against Britain. These actions caused by Myles Cooper ultimately helped bring an end to the Americans being controlled by England and allowed them to create what is known as today, The United States of American.
Bibliography
"Biography: Anonymous on Rev. Myles Cooper." English Poetry 1579-1830. Accessed November 26, 2018. http://spenserians.cath.vt.edu/BiographyRecord.php?action=GET&bioid=34390.
"Loyalists – American Political History – Learning Zone." National Library of Scotland. Accessed November 26, 2018. https://www.nls.uk/learning-zone/politics-and-society/american-political-history/loyalists.
"Myles Cooper | Columbia University Libraries." Libraries Home | Columbia University Libraries. Accessed November 26, 2018. https://library.columbia.edu/locations/cuarchives/presidents/cooper_myles.html.
"Myles Cooper." Hall of North and South Americans. Accessed November 26, 2018. http://www.famousamericans.net/mylescooper/.