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The early 1860s were unsurprisingly uneventful when it comes to fraternities due to the American Civil War. Many colleges, and subsequently undergraduate chapters, would temporarily close during the war. Only one organization, Theta Xi, was founded (at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1864) and it was the first professional fraternity. [17]
The first fraternity in North America to incorporate most of the elements of modern fraternities was Phi Beta Kappa, founded at the College of William and Mary in 1775. The founding of Phi Beta Kappa followed the earlier establishment of two other secret student societies that had existed on that campus as early as 1750.
- The Chapter House
- "Rush"
- Traditions
- Surviving
- What Is A "Fraternity"?
- "Fraternity" vs. "Sorority"
The members of these groups sometimes lived together in college dorms or boarding houses, but the actual Chapter House did not become common until the 1890's. Most fraternities before this time were rather small in number, with no more than 30 members if that. Therefore, they were able to hold meetings on campus in a hall or dorm room. But their sm...
Originally members were given formal invitations and initiated one by one, often on separate occasions. But with many organizations now having their own houses that needed to be kept full, they often fiercely competed for the interests of incoming freshman. "Rush" comes from this period when the fraternities literally "rushed" to get to the freshma...
The very first fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa was founded in 1776, and was kept a "secret". In 1831 they disclosed their secrets and bylaws. Today, some fraternities keep their traditions and constitutions secret, and some publish them. When many fraternities were founded, initiation rites and ceremonies were often borrowed and/or modified from any com...
Since the beginning of Fraternity and Sorority Life, there have been vehement critics. So it is important to note that Greek-lettered Organizations truly have become more than just an extracurricular activity, but a way of life. Greek Organizations have fought for their continued existence throughout all kinds of hardships. Although chapter and mem...
Fraternities and sororities were established to further the social, scholastic and professional interests of its members. They are mainly associated with colleges and universities. Most fraternities and sororities adopt Greek letters to represent their organization, and as a result they are often referred to as Greek letter societies, or simply fra...
The word fraternity comes from the Latin word "frater" meaning brother. The word fraternity is often used to described not only organizations comprised of men, but also women. Originally, both groups were called fraternities because that was the only word that existed during the 1800s to describe the type of organization they were. This may be due ...
- Phi Beta Kappa Society. Year Established: 1776. Founding College/University: The College of William and Mary (Williamsburg, Virginia) Type of Fraternity: Honor Society.
- Chi Phi. Year Established: 1824. Founding College/University: Princeton University (Princeton, New Jersey) Type of Fraternity: Social. Chapters: 57 Active. photo source: Wikipedia.
- Kappa Alpha Society. Year Established: 1825. Founding College/University: Union College (Schenectady, New York) Type of Fraternity: Literary and Social. Chapters: 15 (9 active)
- Sigma Phi Society. Year Established: 1827. Founding College/University: Union College (Schenectady, New York) Type of Fraternity: Social. Chapters: 9. photo source: sigmaphi.org.
Oct 5, 2024 · organization. fraternity and sorority, in the United States, social, professional, or honorary societies, for males and females, respectively. Most such organizations draw their membership primarily from college or university students. With few exceptions, fraternities and sororities use combinations of letters of the Greek alphabet as names.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
May 8, 2023 · The first organization, called Phi Beta Kappa, originates from the College of William and Mary. It was established a year before the US declared its independence. It became the successor of two secret student societies that date back to the 1750s. In the 19th century, they spread to many institutions.
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When was the first Greek-letter fraternity founded?
For many years, societies for young women bearing Greek and classical names were common at women's colleges and academies and were organized similar to fraternities. The first fraternity for women was Alpha Delta Pi, founded as the Adelphean Society in 1851. Sororities were chartered as women's fraternities because no better word existed.
