What term would best describe the first colleges in america?

a. secular
b. quaker
c. public
d. religious

D. Religious

Explanation:

The oldest universities in the United States are the colonial colleges (Colonial Colleges), that is, those existing at the time of the Thirteen Colonies under the British crown. They functioned in a similar way to the colleges of the Middle Ages in Spain and those existing at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in England, so they used the equivalent term of College in their denominations.

Harvard University was founded in 1636, during the painful times of the colonization of North America, when those first settlers had nothing done and everything was to be done. Its original name was New College or The College at New Town and was founded without a single teacher, with only one student, and not even with a single building.

In 1639, less than three years after its foundation, he changed the name to Harvard College, as a token of gratitude to his benefactor John Harvard, a young cleric who at his death, a few months before, had donated to the newly created institution a precious legacy: its library of 400 volumes and half of its considerable personal assets, a sum of 780 pounds.

in 1862, president lincoln's emancipation proclamation opened the door for african americans to enlist in the union army. although many had wanted to join the war effort earlier, they were prohibited from enlisting by a federal law dating back to 1792.

explanation:

the answer to your question is c