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Stories

The Minstrel Tradition at Princeton University
by April C. Armstrong | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Princeton students performed in blackface in the 19th and 20th centuries, until as late as 1949. The legacy of Princeton’s minstrel traditions continues to live on in American culture through the popular folk song “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.”

The Princeton Immigration Restriction League (1922-1924)
by Nicky Steidel | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
In 1922, Princeton affiliates founded a chapter of the Immigration Restriction League (IRL) on campus, advocating for restrictions on non-western European immigration into the United States. Though the organization dissolved in 1924, the IRL leaders’ commitment to white supremacy extended into their professional lives as influential 20th-century scholars.

Tracing Princeton’s Connections to Slavery: An Archivist’s View
by April C. Armstrong | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
The work of collecting and organizing primary source material on Princeton’s connections to slavery required coordinated efforts of faculty, students, and library staff. This essay highlights some of the ways Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library staff have provided valuable specialized knowledge for the Princeton & Slavery Project.

"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 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.
Primary Sources

James C. Johnson standing
c. 1870s | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Photograph of James Collins Johnson standing in front of painted backdrop.

"Death Comes to Student Ohl"
13 June 1895 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Newspaper article describing Princeton students' plans to "boycott" African American laborers in town after the death of classmate Frederick Ohl in 1895.

Garrett Cochran in uniform
Unknown | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Photograph of Garrett Cochran (class of 1898) in uniform. Cochran served as a Lieutenant in Field Artillery during World War I.

“White Supremacy at Princeton”
September 30, 1942 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
One of a series of Daily Princetonian editorials arguing for the integration of Princeton University.

"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.