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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

"Vote Republican"
November 2, 1947 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Advertisement urging Princeton residents to vote Republican to support the new state constitution, which prohibited the segregation of public schools.

"Bathing"
June 10, 1836 | Antebellum (1820-1861)
An advertisement for Anthony Simmons's bathhouse, published in the Princeton Whig.

"New Library For University Assured; Named For Firestone"
February 23, 1945 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Article from The Princeton Herald announcing funding from the Firestone family for a new library on campus.

“An Open Letter to the Students of Princeton”
22 October, 1942 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Letter from Andrew Hatcher, a black Princeton resident, regarding the debates over integration on campus.

"'Our' Borough"
January 20, 1837 | Antebellum (1820-1861)
Letter to the editor describing the the whipping post at the center of Princeton.
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