list of slaves sold by georgetown university list of slaves sold by georgetown university

The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II An astonishing book. [26] Johnson and Batey were to be held jointly and severally liable and each additionally identified a responsible party as a guarantor. And they are confronting a particularly wrenching question: What, if anything, is owed to the descendants of slaves who were sold to help ensure the colleges survival? . To see the posts, click here. Limit 20 per day. Georgetown Slavery Archive Date 1838 Contributor Adam Rothman Relation GSA63 Format PDF Language English Type Text Identifier GSA5 Text Item Type Metadata Original Format Spreadsheet Files Collection Sale of Maryland Jesuit's enslaved community to Louisiana in 1838 Tags Families, Plantations, Slaves Citation Having descendant voices present alongside historical documents is an essential part of the GU272 narrative, said Claire Vail, the projects director for American Ancestors, in an announcement about the website. Consider the following list: Top 10 Countries with the Highest Prevalence of Modern Slavery (by slaves per 1000 residents) - Global Slavery Index 2018: North Korea - 104.6 (10.46%) Eritrea - 93 (9.3%) Burundi - 40 (4.0%) Central African Republic . James Van de Veldes. Leave a message for others who see this profile. Georgetown owned these human beings and they had been used to build the institutions physical buildings, tend farms and perform hard labor under rigid control. We pray with you today because we have greatly sinned and because we are profoundly sorry.. Join Amazon Prime Watch Thousands of Movies & TV Shows Anytime . This sale was the culmination of a contentious and long-running debate among the Maryland Jesuits over whether to keep, sell, or free their slaves, and whether to focus on their rural estates or on their growing urban missions, including their schools. Continue to scroll for fascinating Videos and Books to enhance your learning experience. Key then transferred this property to John R. Thompson. [4][a] Several of the Jesuits' slaves unsuccessfully attempted to sue for their freedom in the courts in the 1790s. [72] In 2021, the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States pledged to raise $100million for a newly created Descendants Truth and Reconciliation Foundation, which would aim to ultimately raise $1billion, with the purpose of working for the benefit of descendants of all slaves owned by the Jesuits. If youre already a subscriber or donor, thank you! This was only a portion of the slaves bought and sold by the Maryland Jesuits over time.[1]. [41] The Jesuits never received the total $115,000 that was owed under the agreement. The remainder of the slaves were accounted for in three subsequent bills of sale executed in November 1838, which specified that 64 would go to Batey's plantation named West Oak in Iberville Parish and 140 slaves would be sent to Johnson's two plantations,[27] Ascension Plantation (later known as Chatham Plantation) in Ascension Parish and another in Maringouin in Iberville Parish. [50], In 1981, historian Robert Emmett Curran presented at academic conferences a comprehensive research into the Maryland Jesuits' participation in slavery, and published this research in 1983. Central concepts and key points are illustrated through campus examples. At the time, the Catholic Church did not view slaveholding as immoral, said the Rev. But few were lucky enough to escape. people, women and others in the Catholic Church, Cardinal Cupich: Critics of Pope Francis Latin Mass restrictions should listen to JPII. Share with your friends! But the decision to sell virtually all of their enslaved African-Americans in the 1830s left some priests deeply troubled. Another building has been renamed Anne Marie Becraft Hall in honor of a free Black woman who established a school in the town of Georgetown for Girls of color. During this time, the Jesuits funded some of the most prestigious institutions of higher education in America in part through profits earned on their plantations. By the end of December, one of Mr. Cellinis genealogists felt confident that she had found a strong test case: the family of the boy, Cornelius Hawkins. Now comes the task of making amends. More than half were younger than 20, and nearly a third were not yet 10 years old. But the revelations about her lineage and the church she grew up in have unleashed a swirl of emotions. June 1838 the University benefited from the sale of 272 slaves, some as young as 2 months old to finance the ailing institution. It soon became clear that Roothaan's conditions had not been fully met. In addition to becoming physically dilapidated, all but one of the plantations had fallen into debt. But he was persuaded to reconsider by several prominent Jesuits, including Father Mulledy, then the influential president of Georgetown who had overseen its expansion, and Father McSherry, who was in charge of the Jesuits Maryland mission. Against the conditions agreed upon, families were separated due to this sale. [70], In 2019, undergraduate students at Georgetown voted in a non-binding referendum to impose a symbolic reparations fee of $27.20 per student. Many of them baptized Catholic, they were bought by planters to work. But the 1838 slave sale organized by the Jesuits, who founded and ran Georgetown, stands out for its sheer size, historians say. THEY NEED TO BE FOUND AND LINKED. Were sorry registration isn't working smoothly for you. Georgetown is not the first or only university to own slaves. [27], The articles of agreement listed each of the slaves being sold by name. In letters written to Jesuit superiors in Maryland, one priest who accidentally crossed paths with the slaves in Louisiana after the sale bemoaned the fact that the slaves couldnt practice Catholicism.. In fact, Harvard, Columbia, Brown, University of Virginia did as well. However, the total number of slaves is only one way to measure the level of slavery in a country. [36], Soon after the sale, Roothaan decided that Mulledy should be removed as provincial superior. Leaders in policy, business, technology, science, history, arts and culture engaged with top journalists on the most consequential issues of our time. We have been here since the founding of this country, and we are a significant part of the American experience.. Richard Cellini, the chief executive of a technology company and a Georgetown alumnus, hired eight genealogists to track down the slaves and their descendants. [37] Roothaan was particularly concerned because it had become clear that, contrary to his order, families had been separated by the slaves' new owners. CNN In 1838, the Jesuits who ran Georgetown University sold 272 enslaved people to pay off the university's debts. [51] Other historians covered the subject in literature published between the 1980s and 2000s. ", New England Historic Genealogical Society, "They thought Georgetown University's missing slaves were 'lost.' In 1870, he appeared in the census for the first time. It would not survive, Father Mulledy feared, without an influx of cash. The sale of these 272 slaves, known as the GU272, saved the university from foreclosure. Inspiring Stories of Black History and Achievement, 272 Slaves Sold to Finance Georgetown University. We can't do it without youAmerica Media relies on generous support from our readers. Meanwhile, Georgetowns working group has been weighing whether the university should apologize for profiting from slave labor, create a memorial to those enslaved and provide scholarships for their descendants, among other possibilities, said Dr. Rothman, the historian. Your source for jobs, books, retreats, and much more. if you are trying to comment, you must log in or set up a new account. In November, the university agreed to remove the names of the Rev. Alfred Francis Russell (1817-1884), 10th President of Liberia. And the money raised by the sale would not be used to pay off debt or for operating expenses. An inspector scrutinized the cargo on Dec. 6, 1838. Copyright 2023 America Press Inc. | All Rights Reserved. [53], With work complete, in August 2015, university president John DeGioia sent an open letter to the university announcing the opening of the new student residence, which also related Mulledy's role in the 1838 slave sale after stepping down as president of the university. [30] In total, only 206 are known to have been transported to Louisiana. Cardinal McElroy on radical inclusion for L.G.B.T. Dr. Rothman, the Georgetown historian, heard about Mr. Cellinis efforts and let him know that he and several of his students were also tracing the slaves. The sale of 272 slaves in 1838 rescued the College from crushing debt. And the 1838 sale worth about $3.3 million in todays dollars was organized by two of Georgetowns early presidents, both Jesuit priests. John DeGioia, President, Georgetown University. But thewebsiteincludes a spreadsheet of 314 individuals whom genealogists have identified as being part of the group sold by the Jesuit priests. In the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Catholic Church were among the largest slaveholding institutions in America. African-Americans are often a fleeting presence in the documents of the 1800s. [19] At the congregation, the senior Jesuits in Maryland voted six to four to proceed with a sale of the slaves,[20] and Dubuisson submitted to the Superior General a summary of the moral and financial arguments on either side of the debate. (Valuable Plantation and Negroes for Sale, read one newspaper advertisement in 1852.). That alumnus, Richard J. Cellini, the chief executive of a technology company and a practicing Catholic, was troubled that neither the Jesuits nor university officials had tried to trace the lives of the enslaved African-Americans or compensate their progeny. She runs a nonprofit, Dialogue on Race Louisiana, that offers educational programs on institutional racism and ways to combat it. Georgetown Reflects on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation Georgetown is engaged in a long-term and ongoing process to more deeply understand and respond to the university's role in the injustice of slavery and the legacies of enslavement and segregation in our nation. But on this day, in the fall of 1838, no one was spared: not the 2-month-old baby and her mother, not the field hands, not the shoemaker and not Cornelius Hawkins, who was about 13 years old when he was forced onboard. Meet Paul Haring, the CNS photographer who covered the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and the election of Francis, numerous international papal trips and the daily action of Vatican life for over a decade. [64] Mulledy Hall, a student dormitory that opened in 1966,[65] was renamed as BrooksMulledy Hall in 2016, adding the name of a later president, John E. Brooks, who worked to racially integrate the college. As a result, he had to sell his property in the 1840s and renegotiate the terms of his payment. On November 14, 2015, DeGioia announced that he and the university's board of directors accepted the working group's recommendation, and would rename the buildings accordingly. Share. If you login and register your print subscription number with your account, youll have unlimited access to the website. [18], The Maryland Jesuits, having been elevated from a mission to the status of a province in 1833,[17] held their first general congregation in 1835, where they considered again what to do with their plantations. He was valued at $900. Roughly two-thirds of the Jesuits former slaves including Cornelius and his family had been shipped to two plantations so distant from churches that they never see a Catholic priest, the Rev. [8] These consisted primarily of the plantations of White Marsh in Prince George's County, St. Inigoes and Newtown Manor in St. Mary's County, St. Thomas Manor in Charles County, and Bohemia Manor in Cecil County. The records describe runaways, harsh plantation conditions and the anguish voiced by some Jesuits over their participation in a system of forced servitude. Some wrote emotional letters to Roothaan denouncing the morality of the sale. In November, the university agreed to remove the names of the Rev. We shop for the best values for you. We also posted a 5 part mini-series on the 100th anniversary of one of the most horrific massacres in the history of America. A white man, he admitted that he had never spent much time thinking about slavery or African-American history. A microcosm of the whole history of American slavery, Dr. Rothman said. Their panic and desperation would be mostly forgotten for more than a century. [54] Despite the decades of scholarship on the subject, this revelation came as a surprise to many Georgetown University members,[48][55] and some criticized the retention of Mulledy's name on the building. [22], In October 1836, Roothaan officially authorized the Maryland Jesuits to sell their slaves, so long as three conditions were satisfied: the slaves were to be permitted to practice their Catholic faith, their families were not to be separated, and the proceeds of the sale had to be used to support Jesuits in training,[23] rather than to pay down debts. In 2017, Georgetown University held aday of remembranceduring which the president of the Jesuit order apologized to more than 100 descendants attending a contrition liturgy. The website is part of a collaboration between Boston-based American Ancestors, also called the New England Historic Genealogical Society, and the Georgetown Memory Project, which was founded by Georgetown alumnus Richard Cellini. In 2019, 66 percent of Georgetown students voted in a referendum to add a $27.20 student fee to be. William McSherry, the college presidents involved in the sale, from two campus buildings. Thomas F. Mulledy, president of Georgetown from 1829 to 1838, and again from 1845 to 1848, arranged the sale. She was the citys first black woman television anchor. list of slaves sold by georgetown university. [49] There was periodic and sometimes extensive coverage of both the sale and the Jesuits' slave ownership in various literature. He demanded that Mulledy travel to Rome to answer the charges of disobeying orders and promoting scandal. In the case of Amazon, please use our links whenever you shop. In all, the Jesuits sold 314 men, women and children over . [35] He ordered McSherry to inform Mulledy that he had been removed as provincial superior, and that if Mulledy refused to step down, he would be dismissed from the Society of Jesus. [50] Curran also published Georgetown University's official, bicentennial history in 1993, in which he wrote about the university's and Jesuits' relationship with slavery. [27] The agreement provided that 51 slaves would be sent to the port of Alexandria, Virginia in order to be shipped to Louisiana. [34] Many Maryland Jesuits were outraged by the sale, which they considered to be immoral, and many of them wrote graphic, emotional accounts of the sale to Roothaan. As part of an ongoing consideration to this atrocity Georgetown is seeking to rectify their prior actions and, in a speech delivered to descendants of the identified descendants delivered this message: Today the Society of Jesus, who helped to establish Georgetown University and whose leaders enslaved and mercilessly sold your ancestors, stands before you to say that we have greatly sinned, said Rev. Maxine Crump, 69, a descendant of one of the slaves sold by the Jesuits, in a Louisiana sugar cane field where researchers believe her ancestor once worked. Advertisement In Bayonne-Johnson's hands,. Through the project, genealogists have discovered 8,425 descendants of enslaved people sold in 1838. Today, the universitys leaders, students and alumni are grappling with how to confront that history. While they continued to support gradual emancipation, they believed that this option was becoming increasingly untenable, as the Maryland public's concern grew about the expanding number of free blacks. It is interesting that the date was June 19th as many years later, it was on what is now recognized as Juneteenth. Drawing from campus-based research projects sponsored by the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Center for Urban Education at the University of Southern California, this invaluable resource provides real-world steps that reinforce primary elements for examining equity in student achievement, while challenging educators to specifically focus on racial equity as a critical lens for institutional and systemic change. Our membership program offers special benefits to college students including: * Unlimited FREE Two-Day Shipping (with no minimum order size), * Exclusive deals and promotions for college students, Georgetown University confronts its history with slavery. [7], By 1824, the Jesuit plantations totaled more than 12,000 acres (4,900 hectares) in the State of Maryland, and 1,700 acres (690 hectares) in eastern Pennsylvania. But when Ms. Riffel, the genealogist, told her where she thought he was buried, Ms. Crump knew exactly where to go. [48] It is one of the most well-documented slave sales of its era. We have committed to finding ways that members of the Georgetown and Descendant communities can be engaged together in efforts that advance racial justice and enable every member of our Georgetown community to confront and engage with Georgetowns history with slavery.. Much more than a way to chat. [50], The 1838 slave sale returned to the public's awareness in the mid-2010s. Soon, the two men and their teams were working on parallel tracks. [24], Johnson was unable to pay according to the schedule of the agreement. It lists the slaves by name according to plantation where they lived, identifies family groups, and records which ship (1, 2, or 3) they were shipped in. A Reflection for Saturday of the First Week of Lent, by Christopher Parker. American Ancestors announced the new GU272 Memory Project website on June 19, the anniversary of Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when some American slaves learned they had been freed. Alfred "Teen" Blackburn (1842-1951), one of the last living survivors of slavery in the United States who had a clear recollection of it. By the 1840s, word was trickling back to Washington that the slaves new owners had broken their promises. Now, for the first time, Ms. Crump understood its origins. Interview: Whats it like to photograph Pope Francis? They could then make 40% on the labor of the slave and pay the bank 8%. A photo of the slave cabins at Laurel Valley in Thibodaux is part of the GU272 Memory Project. The condition of slaves on the plantations varied over time, as did the condition of the Jesuits living with them. Some slaves suffered at the hands of a cruel overseer. Others, including two of Corneliuss uncles, ran away before they could be captured. Mr. Cellini, whose genealogists have already traced more than 200 of the slaves from Maryland to Louisiana, believes there may be thousands of living descendants. The remainder of the slaves were accounted for in three subsequent bills of sale executed in November 1838, which specified that 64 would go to Batey's plantation named West Oak in Iberville Parish and 140 slaves would be sent to Johnson's two plantations, Ascension Plantation (later known as Chatham Plantation) in Ascension Parish and another in Maringouin (Iberville Parish). Behind her are sugar plantations and the sugar mill where her ancestors worked. Continue scrolling down for more amazing information, videos, books and value items. [24], Mulledy quickly made arrangements to carry out the sale. [34] During the controversy, Mulledy fell into alcoholism. It lists the slaves by name according to plantation where they lived, identifies family groups, and records which ship (1, 2, or 3) they were shipped in. Your email address will not be published. Slavery was much more than the theft of labor; it was the deprivation of liberty for which this country professes so loudly. IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. In 1838, the Jesuit priests who ran the countrys top Catholic university needed money to keep it alive. You dont have to purchase the item in the link but using the link helps both of us and we thank you for your support. [10], Due to these extensive landholdings, the Propaganda Fide in Rome had come to view the American Jesuits negatively, believing they lived lavishly like manorial lords. With time, Georgetown professors, students and alumni are taking a look at this portion and tracking the people sold to finance the institution. Georgetown University Sold Hundreds of SlavesDoes That Still Matter? The college relied on Jesuit plantations in Maryland to help finance its operations, university officials say. She found out about the Jesuits and Georgetown and the sea voyage to Louisiana. [57], In September 2015, DeGioia convened a Working Group on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation to study the slave sale and recommend how to treat it in the present day. By the 1830s, however, their physical and religious conditions had improved considerably. To this day the search continues. When the Society of Jesus was suppressed worldwide by Pope Clement XIV in 1773, ownership of the plantations was transferred from the Jesuits' Maryland Mission to the newly established Corporation of Roman Catholic Clergymen. [72][70] Georgetown also made a $1million donation to the foundation and a $400,000 donation to create a charitable fund to pay for healthcare and education in Maringouin, Louisiana. We also hope to work with you on additional opportunities for engaging with those who many not be able to attend in-person gatherings. It also notes slaves who had run away, and those who had been "married off." We see that slavery was MUCH more than depriving people of their liberty and theft of their services, it was the cruel and long lasting emotional devastation of selling away loved ones, taking indecent liberties, cruel and inhumane treatment and so much more. [136] Eufrosina Hinard (born 1777), a free black woman in New Orleans, she owned slaves and leased them to others. In total, there are 167 countries that still have slavery and around 46 million slaves today, according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index.. But the popes order, which did not explicitly address slave ownership or private sales like the one organized by the Jesuits, offered scant comfort to Cornelius and the other slaves. Georgetown and the College of the Holy Cross renamed buildings, and the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States pledged to raise $100 million for the descendants of slaves owned by the Jesuits. Hundreds of Blacks were slaughtered and 10,000 left homeless in this largely unknown event. Amazing! Her ancestors, once amorphous and invisible, are finally taking shape in her mind. Mr. Cellini is an unlikely racial crusader. [58] In November of that year, following a student-led protest and sit-in,[59] the working group recommended that the university temporarily rename Mulledy Hall (which opened during Mulledy's presidency in 1833)[60] to Freedom Hall, and McSherry Hall (which opened in 1792 and housed a meditation center)[61] to Remembrance Hall. Now students, professors and alumni want to know what happened to those men and women and what the university will do moving forward. Her great-uncle had the name, as did one of her cousins. Georgetown University announced on Tuesday it will create a fund that could generate close to $400,000 a year to benefit the descendants of slaves once sold by the university, the latest in the . The enslaved African-Americans had belonged to the nations most prominent Jesuit priests. [5], On June 19, 1838, Mulledy, Johnson, and Batey signed articles of agreement formalizing the sale. The name had been passed down from generation to generation in her family. Families would not be separated. What remains is what is owed to the descendants. [35][34] Benedict Fenwick, the Bishop of Boston, privately lamented the fate of the slaves and considered the sale an extreme measure. From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: A Guide for Campus-Based Leadership and Practice is a vital wealth of information for college and university presidents and provosts, academic and student affairs professionals, faculty, and practitioners who seek to dismantle institutional barriers that stand in the way of achieving equity, specifically racial equity to achieve equitable outcomes in higher education. Joseph Carberry, 1824 GSA29: Priscilla Queen petitions for her freedom, 1810 GSA30: Edward Queen petitions for his freedom, 1791 GSA31: Proceedings of the General Chapter at White Marsh, May 1789 GSA32: Fanny & her family, 1815 The articles of agreement listed each of the slaves by name to be sold. Descendants are learning new links to their pasts as a result of the project. Ashby's account book at Newtown.For a spreadsheet with all the data transcribed, seeGSA5. The New York Times would like to hear from people who have done research into their genealogical history. They were looking to buy slaves in the Upper South more cheaply than they could in the Deep South, and agreed to Mulledy's asking price of approximately $400 per person. American Ancestors announced the new GU272 Memory Project website on Wednesday (June 19), the anniversary of Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when some American slaves learned they had been freed. What Does It Owe Their Descendants? Youll never know where you came from, said Mlisande Short-Colomb, a descendant of the group of slaves, in a statement about the project. Mr. Cellini was on the line. What can you do to make amends?. We encourage you to visit our website, call us at (202)-687-8330, or email us at descendants@georgetown.edu if you are interested in learning more or sharing your ideas and reflections. And they were sold, along with scores of others, to help secure the future of the premier Catholic institution of higher learning at the time, known today as Georgetown University. [3], Much of this land was put to use as plantations, the revenue from which financed the Jesuits' ministries. Slaves were collateral and could be used to mortgage land and other goods. The Jesuit leaders running the institution that would later become Georgetown University sold the 272 enslaved men, women and children in 1838 to settle mounting debts threatening the.