Prior to the foundation of the Ivy League in the 1950s, to what degree was there a sense of commonality and exclusivity tied specifically to the schools which would come to be a part of the League?

r/AskHistorians

Quibbles aside, Ivy League is now a near synonym for the “best schools in the US”, but as pedants like to point out, it is defined as by a collegiate sports league and dates only to 1954. What level of shared identity did those schools have before then, though? In 1900, what would differentiate Harvard or Princeton from other long established schools with a high reputation like, say, William & Mary or St. Johns?

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Prior to the foundation of the Ivy League in the 1950s, to what degree was there a sense of commonality and exclusivity tied specifically to the schools which would come to be a part of the League?

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