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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.

William Taylor: Princeton’s Last Independent African American Campus Vendor
by April C. Armstrong | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
William Taylor, a black entrepreneur in Princeton in the first half of the 20th century, was the third and last in a line of independent African American vendors who sold refreshments to students. The nickname students used for Taylor (a racial slur) reflected the casual racism in Princeton was still very much present during the postbellum era, as in the days of the first campus vendor, former fugitive slave James Collins Johnson.

The Skeleton in the Basement
by Dan Ewert | Antebellum (1820-1861)
In 1853, two Princeton alumni described an event in which anatomy students stole a body from the local black cemetery. Though potentially fictional, their story illustrates how elite white men claimed authority over black bodies beyond the institution of slavery.

Princeton and the Civil War
by W. Barksdale Maynard | Civil War (1861-1865)
The Civil War divided Princeton as well as the United States along regional lines, complicating the university’s patriotic history of wartime service as students and alumni fought in both the Union and Confederate forces.

The Whig-Cliosophic Society and Slavery
by Samuel Niu | Colonial & Early National (1746-1820), Antebellum (1820-1861), Civil War (1861-1865)
Princeton’s rival Whig and Clio societies provided students with powerful platforms to discuss controversial issues of the day, frequently slavery and emancipation. From the late 18th century to the outbreak of the Civil War, members of both societies consistently opposed the emancipation of slaves, fostering a conservative, anti-abolition intellectual climate on campus.
Primary Sources

Harvey S. Firestone Memorial Library
2022 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
The Harvey S. Firestone Memorial Library, commonly called Firestone Library, on Princeton's main campus, with a statue of Princeton's sixth president John Witherspoon in the foreground.

Dod Hall
1903 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Albert B. Dod Hall, a Princeton dormitory still in use today, c. 1903.

William Taylor on Campus
undated | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Photograph of William Taylor, an African American vendor on campus during the early 20th century.

Clio Hall
19 May 2006 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Present-day Clio Hall on the Princeton University campus.

"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.
News

Princeton to Name Two Campus Spaces in Honor of Slaves
The New York Times, 4/17/18
Five months after the release of sweeping research into its deep historical connections with slavery Princeton University announced on Tuesday that it would name two prominent spaces in honor of enslaved people who lived or worked on its campus.

Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Principles to Govern Renaming and Changes to Campus Iconography
Princeton University, 3/29/21
In September 2020, the Trustees of Princeton University convened the Ad Hoc Committee on Principles to Govern Renaming and Changes to Campus Iconography.

Black Artist Unveils Sculpture at Site of Princeton University Slave Auction
Blavity, 11/15/17
This campus-wide public arts project confronts Princeton’s ties to slavery.

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.

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.
Events

A Campus Divided: War at Princeton
Friday, June 1
3 pm
Mudd Library, Harlan Room

Tune Every Heart: The Princeton & Slavery Project in Song
Saturday, January 13, 2018
1 pm and 5 pm
Faculty Room, Nassau Hall, Princeton University Campus

James Johnson Exhibit
May 1 through Fall 2018
Frist Campus Center, East TV Room

Artist Talk: Titus Kaphar
Thursday, November 16, 2017
5:30pm
McCosh 10, Princeton University
Videos
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Impressions of Liberty
Artist Titus Kaphar's art installation, Impressions of Liberty, on display outside the Maclean House on the Princeton University campus in November and December 2017.

Memorial Plaque - President's House
In May 2019, Princeton University placed a memorial plaque commemorating the 16 enslaved people who lived and worked on campus on permanent display outside the historic President's House.