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Stories
Princeton and the Ku Klux Klan
by Gabrielle M. Girard | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
During the early 1920s, Princeton students came into contact with local members of the Ku Klux Klan. Their interactions with the Klan reveal both curiosity about the organization and anxiety about the following it could develop on university campuses.
Bruce Wright’s Exclusion from Princeton University
by April C. Armstrong | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Bruce Wright, future member of the New York Supreme Court, was accepted into Princeton in the mid-1930s. His offer of admission was revoked when he arrived on campus and administrators learned that he was African American.
"The Celebrated Alexander Dumas Watkins": Princeton's First Black Instructor
by R. Isabela Morales | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Alexander Dumas Watkins (1855-1903), a self-taught biologist, conducted significant scientific research alongside Princeton University professors from the 1880s until his death in 1903. Despite holding no formal academic position, Watkins worked in Princeton’s laboratories and taught courses as the University’s first Black instructor—and the last until the 1950s.
Princeton and South Carolina
by Lesa Redmond | Antebellum (1820-1861)
Princeton alumni from South Carolina owned successful plantations, large numbers of slaves, and served as leaders in the Confederate cause during the Civil War.
Endowed Professorships
by Ryan Dukeman | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Of Princeton's more than 160 endowed professorships and lectureships, four honor men who derived their fortunes from slave labor or contributed to the legacy of slavery in New Jersey and the United States.
Primary Sources
"Nights of the Nightshirt at Princeton"
June 22, 1924 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Photograph of members of the Princeton Class of 1920 dressed in Ku Klux Klan robes at the University's 1924 Reunions celebration.
View of South Street, from Maiden Lane, New York City
1827 | Antebellum (1820-1861)
An 1827 watercolor depiction of South Street, New York City, where Moses Taylor launched his commission business in the spring of 1832.
"Biology At Avon-By-The-Sea"
25 July 1892 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Article from the New York Tribune describing the "Seaside Assembly," where Alexander Dumas Watkins worked alongside Princeton professor George Macloskie.
"Princeton Men Won Sheepskins By Negro's Aid"
25 June 1938 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
1938 article describing Alexander Dumas Watkins's role as a Princeton instructor.
Clara Voorhees Obiturary
January 26, 1892 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
New York Times obituary for Clara Voorhees, a former slave and longtime chef at Princeton.
News
Princeton Digs Deep into Its Fraught Racial History
The New York Times, 11/6/17
Princeton University has a long history connected to slavery, which has remained hidden until now.
The Princeton & Slavery Project Mentioned on Legal History Blog’s “Weekend Roundup”
Legal History Blog, 11/11/17
Slavery and the American University
The New York Review of Books, 2/7/18
From their very beginnings, the American university and American slavery have been intertwined, but only recently are we beginning to understand how deeply.
$27 Million for Reparations Over Slave Ties Pledged by Seminary
The New York Times, 10/21/19
A New Jersey seminary has pledged to spend $27 million on scholarships and other initiatives to address its historical ties to slavery, in what appears to be the biggest effort of its kind.
After 274 Years, Princeton Will Have Its First Black Valedictorian
The New York Times, 5/12/20
Nicholas Johnson, who was named valedictorian of Princeton’s Class of 2020, called the achievement especially significant, given the school’s struggle in recent years to confront its troubled history with slavery.
Events
Princeton & Slavery: A Paradox of American History
Thursday, May 3
6:30 pm Reception; 7 pm Presentation and Discussion
Princeton Club of NY (15 West 43rd St.)
The Princeton & Slavery Project: What We Learned and How We Learned It
Saturday, June 2
8:45 to 10 am
McCormick Hall, Room 106