201Results for "alumni"
Stories
The Alumni Subscription Campaign of 1835
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In 1835, the Alumni Association of Nassau Hall responded to financial crisis with a fundraising campaign among Princeton alumni. Many of the donors who responded were southerners with ties to slavery.
Princeton in the West Indies
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Under the leadership of President Witherspoon, the College of New Jersey launched an ill-fated campaign to secure donations from slaveholding planter elites in the West Indies.
Joseph Clark in Virginia (1802-1803)
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After a fire destroyed Nassau Hall in 1802, Princeton alumnus Joseph Clark canvassed Virginia on a nine-month fundraising mission. Throughout the trip, Clark relied on the hospitality and financial contributions of fellow Princeton alumni and their connections among Virginia’s slave-owning elite.
Student Origins
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Between 1746 and 1865, about 40% of Princeton students arrived from the slaveholding South. As college leaders recruited elite southerners, enrollment tracked the geographical spread of the slave economy.
Princeton’s Civil War Memorial
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Nassau Hall’s memorial atrium—built in the 1920s—reflects the era’s reconciliationist politics, erasing the role of slavery and emancipation in the Civil War and granting moral equivalency to the Union and Confederate causes.
Primary Sources
Notice of Alumni Meeting
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A note that the alumni of South Carolina met to raise funds to rebuild Nassau Hall after the 1802 fire.
"An Address Delivered Before the Alumni Association of Nassau-Hall"
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A commencement address given by Samuel Southard (class of 1804) in 1832, calling on alumni to donate to the college.
Commencement Address by James McDowell
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A pro-slavery address delivered by James McDowell (class of 1817) at the Princeton commencement for the class of 1838.
James Habersham Jr.
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A portrait of James Habersham Jr., who attended Princeton in the 1760s.
James Moore Wayne
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A daguerreotype of James Moore Wayne, Princeton class of 1808.
News
Princeton and Slavery: Our Original Sin
Princeton Alumni Weekly, 11/6/17
Princeton reckons with its connections to slavery.
Princeton and Slavery: Plays That Probe Our Original Sin
Princeton Alumni Weekly, 11/8/17
At McCarter Theatre, seven works examine Princeton’s connections with slavery.
Atelier Course Explores Princeton’s Slavery Ties in Song
Princeton Alumni Weekly, 1/4/18
Alumni Peter Mills ’95 and Cara Reichel ’96 of Prospect Theater Company taught a Princeton Atelier seminar in which undergraduates created original musical theater works inspired by the work of the Princeton & Slavery Project.
The Princeton & Slavery Project at the Thrive Conference
Princeton University, 11/5/19
Martha A. Sandweiss, Professor of History discussed the Princeton & Slavery Project with Melanie Lawson ’76, Journalist and Television News Anchor, at "Thrive: Empowering and Celebrating Princeton's Black Alumni."
Princeton & Slavery: The Scientist’s Assistant
Princeton Alumni Weekly, 11/8/17
Famed professor Joseph Henry had an indispensable helper in his lab: a free black man, Sam Parker.
Events
"Facing Slavery: Princeton Family Stories": A Documentary Film by Melvin McCray '74
Friday, November 17 & Sunday, November 19
Princeton Garden Theatre, 160 Nassau Street
Videos
Looking Back: Reflections of Black Princeton Alumni
Looking Back: Reflections of Black Princeton Alumni is a 75 minute documentary written and edited by Melvin McCray (Class of 1974) and produced by McCray and Calvin Norman (Class of 1977) on the occasion of Princeton University’s 250th anniversary in 1996.