An exploration of Princeton University’s historical ties to the institution of slavery
About the Project
Princeton University, founded as the College of New Jersey in 1746, exemplifies the central paradox of American history. From the start, liberty and slavery were intertwined. From 2013 to 2024, the Princeton & Slavery Project investigated the University’s involvement with the institution of slavery and ongoing legacies of institutional racism.
We invite you to explore the many stories and sources included here, which reflect the work of more than 50 contributors, the majority of them Princeton undergraduate and graduate students.
News & Events
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Princeton's Slaveholding Presidents
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Princeton’s first nine presidents all owned enslaved people at some point in their lives. Though widely considered to be forward-thinking religious, intellectual, and political leaders in the 18th and 19th centuries, they failed to align their practices with their ideals—embodying the tensions between liberty and slavery that characterized American life from the colonial period to the Civil War.
Princeton and the Colonization Movement
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Founded and supported by 19th-century Princeton alumni, the American Colonization Society promoted the repatriation of freed slaves to a colony in Africa. Ultimately, however, colonization was more of an intellectual movement for moderately antislavery whites than a practical option for free Black people.
Featured Visualization
The Princeton & Slavery Plays, Part I: Under the Liberty Trees
Interviews and clips from "Under the Liberty Trees," by Emily Mann, which premiered at the McCarter Theatre in November 2017 as part of the Princeton & Slavery Project Symposium.
Featured Source
Two Women, a Man, and Three Children
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An advertisement announcing the estate sale of President Samuel Finley, held at the President's House on campus.