276Results for "princeton-university"
Stories
The Minstrel Tradition at Princeton University
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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.”
Integrating Princeton University: Robert Joseph Rivers
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Robert Joseph Rivers (Class of 1953) was one of Princeton’s first Black undergraduate students and one of the first two Black members of the Board of Trustees. While in town and on campus, Rivers witnessed firsthand Princeton’s legacy of privileging the comfort of white southern students over racial justice.
Bruce Wright’s Exclusion from Princeton University
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Bruce Wright, future member of the New York Supreme Court, was accepted into Princeton in the mid-1930s. His offer of admission was revoked when he arrived on campus and administrators learned that he was African American.
Slavery at the President's House
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At least five Princeton presidents who served between 1756 and 1822 owned enslaved people who lived, worked—and on one occasion were auctioned off—at the President’s House on campus. During this period, the President’s House was the center of slavery at Princeton.
"The Celebrated Alexander Dumas Watkins": Princeton's First Black Instructor
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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.
Primary Sources
Firestone Library's Founding Document
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Firestone Library's founding document, in which Princeton University agrees to advance the Firestone Rubber Company's "corporate interests" by promoting the scientific study of rubber.
Portrait of Joseph Henry
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An early daguerreotype of Professor Joseph Henry.
Nassau Hall ca. 1860
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Lithograph of Nassau Hall.
Pumping Incident Parade
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A pencil drawing of the parade given to the three students dismissed in the "Pumping Incident" on campus during the Civil War.
Bill of Sale for Caesar
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Bill of sale for an enslaved man named Caesar, whom Princeton president Aaron Burr Sr. purchased in 1756.
News
Princeton University Launches Princeton & Slavery Website
The Daily Princetonian, 11/6/17
The Princeton & Slavery Project explores how early University trustees, faculty, and students were connected to the institution of slavery.
Slavery Symposium Panels Discuss Southern Legacy at Princeton University
The Daily Princetonian, 11/20/17
Long known as the “Southern Ivy” or “Southernmost Ivy,” Princeton University’s historical connections to slavery were explored through several panel discussions.
Princeton University’s Ties to Slavery Explored During Symposium
Princeton Patch, 11/15/17
The symposium is part of four days of programming related to the Princeton & Slavery Project.
Princeton & Slavery Project Launched with Princeton University Humanities Council Support
Princeton University Humanities Council, 11/6/17
The Princeton & Slavery Project developed from a small undergraduate research seminar supported by a Humanities Council David A. Gardner ’69 Magic Grant.
Slavery at Princeton: University Delves into Its Charged Racial History
Deutsche Welle (DW), 11/16/17
In a historical investigation, Princeton University unveils darker, unknown aspects of its past: the institution's involvement in slavery. Deutsche Welle (DW) interviews Professor Martha Sandweiss, who started the project.
Events
Artist Talk: Titus Kaphar
Thursday, November 16, 2017
5:30pm
McCosh 10, Princeton University
Keynote Address by Toni Morrison
Friday, November 17, 2017
4:30pm
Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall, Princeton University
Making History Visible: Faculty Roundtable on Art and Visualizing the American Nation
Friday, December 1, 2017 at 2 PM
McCormick 101, Princeton University
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
The Princeton & Slavery Symposium
The Princeton & Slavery Project will celebrate its public launch November 17-18 with a scholarly symposium.
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.
Princeton & Slavery Project Symposium - Panel 1
"Some of What We've Learned," a panel presentation at the Princeton & Slavery Project Symposium in November 2017.
Participants: Trip Henningson ('16), Craig B. Hollander (The College of New Jersey), R. Isabela Morales (Princeton University), Lesa Redmond ('17), Joseph Yannielli (Yale University)
Moderator: Daniel J. Linke (Princeton University)
Princeton & Slavery Project Symposium - Panel 2
"How the Princeton & Slavery Project Shapes Our Broader Understanding of Universities and Slavery," a panel presentation at the Princeton & Slavery Project Symposium in November 2017.
Participants: Leslie A. Harris (Northwestern University) and Ruth J. Simmons (Brown University).
Moderator: Wallace Best (Princeton University)
Princeton & Slavery Project Symposium - Panel 3
"How the Princeton & Slavery Project Changes Our Understanding of American History and Poses a Challenge to Historical Commemoration," a panel presentation at the Princeton & Slavery Project Symposium in November 2017.
Participants: Danielle Allen (Harvard University) and Eric Foner (Columbia University)
Moderator: Christopher Eisgruber (President of Princeton University)
Event Photos
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.
Panel 1 - Princeton & Slavery Project Symposium
"Some of What We've Learned," a panel presentation at the Princeton & Slavery Project Symposium in November 2017.
Panel 2 - Princeton & Slavery Project Symposium
"How the Princeton & Slavery Project Shapes Our Broader Understanding of Universities and Slavery," a panel presentation at the Princeton & Slavery Project Symposium in November 2017.
Panel 3 - Princeton & Slavery Project Symposium
"How the Princeton & Slavery Project Changes Our Understanding of American History and Poses a Challenge to Historical Commemoration," a panel presentation at the Princeton & Slavery Project Symposium in November 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.