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Stories

Commencement Orations
by Teal Arcadi and Julia Grummitt | Antebellum (1820-1861)
As tensions over slavery led to sectional crisis in the first half of the 19th century, Princeton’s commencement addresses became increasingly pro-slavery in tone.

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.

Escape from Princeton
by Joseph Yannielli | Colonial & Early National (1746-1820)
In 1819, Princeton Mayor Erkuries Beatty engaged a recent College of New Jersey graduate to recapture his runaway slave, Joe. The incident underscores the terror and uncertainty of enslavement in central Jersey.

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.

White Supremacy at the Commencement of 1836
by Joseph Yannielli | Antebellum (1820-1861)
Princeton student Thomas Ancrum attacked black abolitionist minister Theodore Wright during the commencement of 1836. The incident exposed the commitment to white supremacy among college students and officials.
Primary Sources

Garrett Cochran
c. 1899 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Photograph of Garrett Cochran (class of 1897), who survived the shooting that killed a classmate in 1895.

Report on Anti-Abolition Mob
September 12, 1835 | Antebellum (1820-1861)
A report on an anti-abolition mob, reprinted from the Princeton Whig.

Map of Nassau Street
November 1895 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Map of Nassau Street in Princeton, including 126 Nassau Street, the saloon outside of which student Frederick Ohl was shot in 1895.

"An outrageous attack"
June 26, 1846 | Antebellum (1820-1861)
An article from the Princeton Whig describing the aftermath of the Riot of 1846.

"Murderer Freed, Will Work Here"
October 16, 1909 | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)
Article announcing the release of John Collins, an African American man convicted of the murder of a Princeton undergraduate in 1895.
News

Princeton Digs Deep into Its Fraught Racial History
The New York Times, 11/6/17
Princeton University has a long history connected to slavery, which has remained hidden until now.

Journal of American History Reviews The Princeton & Slavery Project
Journal of American History, December 2020
"Of all the available examples, the Princeton & Slavery web site offers far and away the most well-developed and best organized of these digital treatments."
Events

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