From the establishment of institutions of higher education in Colonial America until the 1970s, college administrators have acted "in loco parentis," or as legal guardians of students "in the place of parents." Under the legal regime of "in loco parentis," society and the legal system required school administrators to look after the educational, moral, and behavioral growth of students. In order to fulfill their obligations to students "in loco parentis," administrators put in place curricular requirements and campus rules, and they were granted the disciplinary leeway of students' natural parents or guardians to enforce those requirements and rules. Through a series of court cases in the 1960s an 1970s, the legal requirements imposed upon administrators was removed and students enrolled in colleges and universities were granted legal adulthood. Through research of primary and secondary sources, this dissertation examines the history of "in loco parentis" in American higher education. It discusses the evolution of the role college administrators played "in loco parentis" over three centuries, and how higher education itself evolved as American society changed. As schools grew in size and expanded in scope, administrators retreated from, or were stripped of, their "in loco parentis" responsibilities. By the mid-1970s, American college students were seen by the courts and society as legal adults with constitutional rights, and "in loco parentis" in American higher education was dead. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]