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Stories

African Americans on Campus, 1746-1876
by Joseph Yannielli | Colonial & Early National (1746-1820), Antebellum (1820-1861)
African Americans were a constant presence at the College of New Jersey as servants, support staff, research and teaching assistants, and students. They labored under harsh conditions on a campus dominated by racism and white supremacy.

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.

The Princeton Plan
by Meagan Raker | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
In 1948, after a century of segregation, the town of Princeton integrated the white Nassau Street School and the Black Witherspoon Street School with a system called the “Princeton Plan.” Contemporary reactions to desegregation revealed Princeton’s racial divisions as well as the Black community’s commitment to education.

Princeton's Slaveholding Presidents
by R. Isabela Morales | Colonial & Early National (1746-1820), Antebellum (1820-1861)
Princeton’s first nine presidents all owned slaves 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.

Erased Pasts and Altered Legacies: Princeton’s First African American Students
by April C. Armstrong | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
In the late-19th and early-20th centuries, several African American men attended Princeton as graduate students. Princeton president Woodrow Wilson’s administration may have attempted to erase their presence from institutional memory, creating an inaccurate historical justification for excluding black students from the university.
Primary Sources

"Ku Klux Invades Princeton"
October 17, 1924 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Daily Princeton article describing the confrontation between Princeton students and Ku Klux Klan members on Nassau Street.

American Colonization Society Fundraising Notice
November 14, 1874 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
A fundraising notice placed by John Maclean Jr. in support of the New Jersey branch of the American Colonization Society.

“Reporters View Meeting of Klan from Interior”
March 21, 1924 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Daily Princetonian article describing two students’ visit to a Ku Klux Klan meeting near Princeton.

"What Is Behind the Hood?"
October 31, 1923 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Daily Princetonian editorial condemning the lawlessness of the Ku Klux Klan.

"Hooded and Armed Menacing of Petitioners Exposed as Soph Prank"
October 3, 1955 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Daily Princetonian article reporting on an undergraduate "prank" where students dressed in KKK robes threatened classmates petitioning the acquittal of Emmett Till's murderers in 1955.
News

Princeton Public Library to Host Author Sharon Draper on October 24th
NJ.com, 10/10/2017
Sharon Draper will discuss her historic novel Copper Sun.

A Slave Auction, Slave-Owning Presidents: Princeton University Unveils a Dark Past
NJ.com, 11/8/17
The project sheds light on how slavery was a part of daily life for early Princeton faculty and students.

Author Toni Morrison Delivers Keynote at Princeton Slavery Symposium
NJ.com, 11/19/17
Morrison’s address explores Princeton University’s historical ties to the institution of slavery.

Princeton & Slavery (and the Arts)
State of the Arts NJ, 1/8/18
Princeton University faces its legacy of slavery in a wide-ranging history project that engages the public with art, theater, and more.
Events

Legacy and Mission: Theological Education and the History of Slavery
Monday, April 8 and Tuesday, April 9
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton, NJ