31Results for "violence"

Stories

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.

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.

Princeton Students Attempt to Lynch an Abolitionist

by Joseph Yannielli | Antebellum (1820-1861)

In September 1835, a crowd of students descended on Princeton’s African American neighborhood to apprehend an abolitionist. The assault underscored the presence on campus of a large number of students committed to slavery and white supremacy.

The Murder of Frederick Ohl

by Grace Masback | Reconstruction to Present (1865-)

In 1895, African American Princeton resident John Collins shot and killed white Princeton student Frederick Ohl. The racially biased news coverage surrounding Collins’s trial illustrates racial tensions still present on campus and in town thirty years after the end of the Civil War.

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.

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.

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.

Report on Anti-Abolition Mob

September 12, 1835 | Antebellum (1820-1861)

A report on an anti-abolition mob, reprinted from the Princeton Whig.

"Shameful Outrage at Princeton"

October 27, 1836 | Antebellum (1820-1861)

Letters from Lewis Tappan, James Carnahan, and Theodore Wright regarding the attack on Wright during the Princeton commencement.

Letter from Gilbert R. McCoy

September 10, 1835 | Antebellum (1820-1861)

Letter from Gilbert R. McCoy (class of 1837) to Gilbert R. Fox (class of 1835), describing a student-led attack against an abolitionist.