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. The Princeton & Slavery Project investigates 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 and to contact us with research, stories, and ideas of your own.
News & Events
See All News & EventsFeatured Stories
Slavery at the President's House
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At least five Princeton presidents who served between 1756 and 1822 owned enslaved people who lived, worked—and on one occasion were auctioned off—at the President’s House on campus. During this period, the President’s House was the center of slavery at Princeton.
Princeton’s Civil War Memorial
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Nassau Hall’s memorial atrium—built in the 1920s—reflects the era’s reconciliationist politics, erasing the role of slavery and emancipation in the Civil War and granting moral equivalency to the Union and Confederate causes.
Featured Visualization
The Princeton & Slavery Plays, Part II: The Torch
Interviews and clips from "The Torch," by Nathan Alan Davis, which premiered at the McCarter Theatre in November 2017 as part of the Princeton & Slavery Project Symposium.
Featured Source
Letter from John Witherspoon Woods
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Letter from John Witherspoon Woods (class of 1837) to his mother, describing a student-led attack against an abolitionist.