Slavery and The University

This section of the LibGuide provides researchers with information on  slaveholding members of the antebellum Citadel community and the people they enslaved.  During the antebellum period dozens of faculty members, students, alumni, and Board of Visitors members were recorded as owning slaves. 

Slaveholding among members of antebellum college communities is well-documented by scholars within the emerging field of slavery and the university. For example, in the book Slavery and the University: Histories and Legacies Craig B. Hollander and Martha A. Sandweiss highlight the role that slaveholding played in the early history of Princeton University, as enslaved workers owned by the school's residents were often the first point of contact for incoming students. With the school's history interlaced with themes of freedom, both during the Revolution and the Civil War, Hollander and Sandweiss' work shows how slaveholding on campus played a role in shaping the ideological atmosphere of the school. In addition to the influence of the slaveholders on the antebellum university experience, some scholars have also sought to reintegrate the personhood of enslaved people into the narratives of college campuses. Jennifer Bridges Oast points out the experiences of the enslaved people at universities across antebellum Virginia, including their roles as housekeepers, janitors, and other domestic roles. Their interactions with students and other campus members contributed to Southern notions of honor, respect, and power that informed how both sides of the dynamic perceived themselves and each other. Additionally, Sven Beckert, et al, explore present day efforts at historical memory and reconciliation at Harvard University. Student and faculty efforts in unearthing the presence of enslaved people on campus, notably including names and daguerreotypes, inform the university's ongoing representation of itself and its history. These articles, along with others included with Slavery and the University and in other scholarship, address how many universities in recent decades have begun grappling with the slaveholding roots of its early founders and most praised voices. 

As schools like the Citadel and others with ties to slavery decide how to cope with the complicated legacies that they have inherited, research into the specific details and scope surrounding slaveholding bring to light forgotten stories and individuals whose contributions have long been overlooked. By acknowledging and remembering the lives and efforts of enslaved individuals, these people regain some of their lost dignity and humanity that was washed away with time. The decisions and ideas of their enslavers also gain greater context in the light of their actions, and the legacies that they left for the present day can begin to be critically addressed. The information in this section of the LibGuide will enable researchers to conduct explorations similar to scholars in the book Slavery and the University, and in so doing contribute to the ongoing field of slavery and the university.