Recent diversity efforts sustain a tradition that began in 1813, when the College’s founders, who were Baptists, guaranteed religious freedom in the original charter. Colby began admitting women in 1871, and admitted its first African-American student before the Civil War. The College pioneered academic programs that seek to understand diversity through offerings such as African-American, East Asian, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality studies. More recent additions to the curriculum are programs in Latin American studies, Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, and African studies. Courses are offered that address the experience of lesbian and gay individuals.