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Stories
The Civil War Comes to Princeton in 1861
by Kimberly Klein | Civil War (1861-1865)
Tensions between Unionist and Secessionist students reached their peak in 1861, shortly after the outbreak of the Civil War.
Princeton's Antebellum Boarding House Culture
by Megan Armknecht | Antebellum (1820-1861)
Between 1832 and 1863, more than 1,000 students lived in off-campus boarding houses while attending the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University). Certain boarding houses catered to large numbers of southern students.
Philip Lindsley: Princeton’s Acting President
by Craig Hollander | Antebellum (1820-1861)
In 1824, Philip Lindsley—a pioneer of education in the antebellum period—delivered one of the most forceful condemnations of slavery in Princeton’s history. After relocating to the South, however, Lindsley gradually abandoned his antislavery principles, owning slaves himself and defending the institution as beneficial to enslaved people.
The Riot of 1846
by R. Isabela Morales | Antebellum (1820-1861)
In June 1846, more than a dozen Southern students mobbed, whipped, and nearly killed an African American man in Princeton—but only after fighting off another group of classmates who opposed them. This brief flashpoint of violence, in which Princeton students came to blows after dividing along regional lines, revealed the tensions over race and slavery present even at a college known for its moderate conservatism.
William Potter Ross
by Jessica R. Mack | Antebellum (1820-1861), Civil War (1861-1865)
William Potter Ross—a Princeton alumnus, Cherokee chief, and Confederate officer during the Civil War—advocated for Cherokee sovereignty in part by defending the practice of slavery.
Primary Sources
Land Grant Certificate for James Holcomb Muse
1861 | Antebellum (1820-1861), Civil War (1861-1865)
This certificate details the land purchased by James H. Muse in Louisiana in 1861.
Autograph Book Entry by Samuel Comfort
1861 | Antebellum (1820-1861), Civil War (1861-1865)
Autograph book entry from Samuel Comfort to Winfield Purviance ('1861).
Autograph Book Entry by Henry Stinnecke
1861 | Antebellum (1820-1861), Civil War (1861-1865)
Autograph book entry from Henry Stinnecke to Winfield Purviance ('1861).
Autograph Book Entry by Edward F. Neufville
1861 | Civil War (1861-1865)
Autograph book entry by Edward F. Neufville (class of 1862) to Thomson McGowan ('1861).
Autograph Book Entry by R. McC. Shepherd
1861 | Civil War (1861-1865)
Autograph book entry by R. McC. Shepherd to William B. Lane (class of 1861), with sketches of "college life."