Brown University and its Ties to Slavery - Research Paper Example

? Brown and its Ties to Slavery Carolyn Reyes ED7841 The History of Higher Education Home address: 9328 E Roan Lane, Inverness, FL 34450 Phone # 352-586-3053 Email: creyesi@embarqmail.com Instructor: Ed Gould Contents Abstract 3 Outline 4 1Literature review 4 1.1Introduction 5 1.2Background study on American slavery 6 1.3Slavery in New England and Rhode Island 7 1.4The Brown University and its link with slavery 9 1.5Conclusion 12 13 References 13 16 Abstract The 2006 report by Brown University revealed clear connection to slavery and financial assistance from this trade during the 18th-century. It also showed that profits from slavery and slave trade were used in establishing many of the higher educational institutions in Northern parts of America, thus dispelling the belief that only Southerners were engaged in slavery. The report provided evidences which showed that Brown University profited during the initial years from funds that came from direct slave trade and slave dependent businesses (like cotton, tobacco, or rice plantations). This occurred during a time when slavery was considered a normal part of the socio-economic life in New England and Rhode Island, and slaves formed a sizeable population within the states. When Brown University was established, Rhode Island was the main center in trans-Atlantic human trafficking where over a period of 100 years almost 100,000 Africans were forced into slavery. From the Brown report which showed Brown University to have profited from funds that originated from slave trade, it can be assumed that other institutions (which were established around the same era) may have the same past as Brown University. Outline 1. Abstract: Gives a brief summary of the entire paper 2. Introduction: introduces the topic to the reader, giving a brief glimpse of how funds from slave trade and slave related businesses helped to establish American institutions of higher education 3. Background study on American slavery: this segment gives an overview on the slave trade and US slavery that was widely prevalent during the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. 4. Slavery in New England and Rhode Island: gives a brief review of the slavery in the northern US (New England and Rhode Island) at the time Brown University was established. It helps one understand the socio-economic conditions (as regards slavery) that prevailed in the region when Brown University was established. 5. The Brown University and its link with slavery: this shows how the Brown family was directly involved in slave trading and how money from slave related businesses from other donors went into establishing the University, thus forging a link that tied the University’s past with slavery. 1 Literature review 1.1 Introduction In a report published by the Brown University in October 2006, there were evidences that showed financial proceedings from slave trade went to establishing the university, while slave labor was used for building the college campus (Johnson, 2006). Historical data suggests that besides Brown University, a majority of the US’s famous academic institutions for higher studies starting from Harvard University to College of William and Mary were built by slave economy and labor (Wilder, 2010). Reports show that Harvard Law School was established with the help of funds that came in from selling slaves to the Caribbean sugar plantations in the Caribbean (Puryear, 2006). The library of the Yale University was founded from donations made by slave owners and traders, while the University of Virginia was designed and funded by Thomas Jefferson (a slave owner), and slave labor was used to build the University complex (Puryear, 2006). In fact, the economy that was derived from slave trade helped to shape the financial future of many American higher educational institutions while influencing politics of institution affected educational culture and curricula within the then new American republic (Wilder, 2010). Commercial trade in slavery (also known as the ‘peculiar institution’ in 19th century US) financed American education and helped to develop scholarly communities, build university and college campuses, and paid for the salaries of teachers and other scholars engaged in imparting education in these institutions. As per records found, African slaves were made to wait on college and university professors and even students, while those in the administration and managements of these academic institutions openly supported people who were involved in slave trading or owned slaves (ibid). The Brown University’s 2006 report gives a deep insight into the American history of racism, social bias, and anti-abolitionist nature of its educational institutions. It also presents a picture which contrasts the current notion that these institutions were the birthplace of political liberalism. From the report, an unflattering picture emerges that depicts an educational system which was formed based on funds that came from racism and social injustice and assisted in supplying rational justification for such activities. 1.2 Background study on American slavery A study of human history clearly shows existence of slavery right from the beginning of civilization and it is primarily an economic process (Barzel, 1977). Slavery has been in practice wherever the process has been economically justifiable for the ruling classes and moneyed segment of the society. The main example in current history being slave trade in the US, where more than 4 million Africans were illegally transported to America and forced to labor as slaves, whose net worth at an average estimate was held at $4 billion just prior to the US Civil War (Yasuba, 1961). Here the white masters enjoyed profits made from slave trade and slave labor, which was equivalent to any other tangible assets while the consumers at the other end like cotton/rice/tobacco buyers and other associated industries also benefited (albeit indirectly) from slavery. Owing to the high value attached to slavery, there were also stringent rules to safeguard the practice with sophisticated mechanism that turned the entire process into a unique institution with its own legal and socio-economic connotations, right from the colonial era. After America declared its independence in 1776, all northern states prohibited slavery, while southern states kept the system alive owing to its cotton plantations and cotton industry that were largely dependent on slave labor. American slavery has been regarded by historians as being unique in nature, as this economic process had been integrated in a systematic manner with a strong element of racism where color based bias was used for abusing and demeaning basic human rights of people with African descent (even those with part African descent faced strong social bias) (Berlin, 2003). This legacy currently makes the integration of the black Americans (descendants of former slaves) as legitimate citizens of the US a far more complex process than in any other countries where slavery had been in practice. In the US, practice of slavery was known as the “chattel slavery”, where the slaves were seen as properties, and hence even descendants of slaves in a natural course became properties of their masters. Here the racial element was always present – the master was always white skinned and slaves dark skinned and of African origin (Horton and Horton, 2005). Therefore, here it is clear that US slavery was distinct from slavery seen in other parts of the world (which were primarily economic processes), in having strong elements of racism and injustice woven into the economic process. 1.3 Slavery in New England and Rhode Island Currently, a majority of the Americans feel that slavery is primarily a southern phenomenon and those from New England have tried to remove all remnants of the once thriving institution. However, various historical records clearly show that slavery was present in all the thirteen colonies (Greene, 1974). The Native Americans (captured during fights between original inhabitants and the new settlers) formed the first group of slaves in New England. The African slaves started arriving in New England from around late 1630s when they were brought in exchange for the Native Americans (enslaved after the Pequot War) (Jennings, 1975). The ?rst African slaves were seen in Rhode Island around 1638, and by 1652 they were well established in the region. Despite initially being present in relatively small numbers, the African slaves continued pouring via the thriving slave trade. However, Rhode Island’s main importance lay in the fact that it played an important role in the transatlantic slave trade, and the region’s ?rst transatlantic voyage for the purpose of slave trading took place in early eighteenth century (Greene, 1974). Within the period of a century, there had been more than one thousand voyages that had transported nearly one hundred thousand Africans to the US to labor as slaves. Various records showed that Newport was created practically from revenues earned through duties levied on slave trade (Coughtry, 1981). During the colonial era, Rhode Island belonged to what was famously known as the ‘triangle trade’ where molasses and sugar that were produced by slave labor were imported to Rhode Island and used for producing rum. This was then exported to Africa and exchanged for more black slaves in order to produce more rum and acquire more slaves for the white owners (Stanley, 2002). In 1764 when Brown University was established (America’s 7th oldest amongst all its universities), Rhode Island had more than thirty distilleries that produced rum, and amongst these Newport itself has 22 rum distilleries (Sheridan, 1974). Some of the families that resided in Rhode Island at this made large-scale profits from slave trade; some of the famous names included that of William Vernon (helped to create the American Navy by financing it- thus showing how money from slave trade went into establishing almost all aspects of the US social and public institutions), who was associated with more than two dozen slave trade ventures (McCusker, 1989). The nature of the Rhode Island Remonstrance also clearly reveals the great ambiguity that is a part of entire US history, where notions of self-governance, freedom, and liberty abound, while at the same time there are provisions that justify the right of white citizens to trade in black slaves and make pro?t from slavery. Therefore, here it is seen that slavery was a part of normal lives of all Americans (North and South) at a time when Brown University was established. 1.4 The Brown University and its link with slavery This was the scenario that prevailed in northern parts of America when Brown University was established in 1764 and formally named as the College of Rhode Island. Originally, the college aimed at training Baptist priests, even though it allowed students of any religious belief to study there, which was in accordance to the tradition of religious liberalism that prevailed in Rhode Island at that time. However, there are no references to slave trade or slavery in the founding documents of the university, which is owing to the fact that slavery was seen as a part of normal life at this time and was considered extraneous to the aims and objectives of the college (Report of the Brown University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice, 2006). In the report, there are claims that slavery was an integral part of the University’s founding history, and it further states that such evidences abound within the College Edi?ce (the University Hall), which is the oldest structure within the college (Report of the Brown University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice, 2006). In the report, the University curator Robert Emlen reaffirmed that while building the University, a public subscription had been organized for the purpose of ?nancing, and being unable to pay in cash, many of the public donors gave in kind. In this context the report stated, “Wood for the building, for example, appears to have been donated by Lopez and Rivera, one of the largest slaves trading ?rms in Newport. A few donors honored pledges by providing the labor of their slaves for a set number of days. Emlen has found evidence of four enslaved men who labored on the building, including “Pero,” the bondsman of Henry Paget, “Mary Young’s Negro Man,” “Earle’s Negro,” and “Abraham,” apparently the slave of Martha Smith” (Report of the Brown University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice, 2006, 12-13). A detailed analysis of the report gives the names of the donors where we find that Governor William Bull (owner of indigo and rice plantations where slaves worked) donated $50; Gabriel Manigault, another slaver owner and slave trader, donated $100; and Henry Laurens, a well-known political figure and a plantation owner, donated $50 towards the construction of the Brown University (Report of the Brown University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice, 2006, 14). The report also investigated the University’s namesake family, the Brown family which comprised of four brothers, Moses, Joseph, Nicholas, and John (all ardent supporters of the University). In 1786, Nicholas Jr donated $ 5000 to the university to change its name to Brown University from the College of Rhode Island, and this tradition of giving large donations was kept up by the Brown family for many generations (Report of the Brown University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice, 2006). Like any other member from the upper segment of the society, the Brown family owned slaves. Historical records maintained by the Brown family revealed that in 1728, Captain James Brown (father of the four Brown brothers), was directly involved in slave trade, and on his death in 1739, there were four slaves working in his estate (ibid). This number increased to 14 by early 1770s, and Moses, who later became a strong opponent of the slavery practice, at that time held the largest number of slaves (he owned six personal slaves) besides having quarter rights over several others. The slaves owned by the Brown family were primarily agricultural workers or they worked as household servants and were also made to work occasionally in Brown owned other businesses like their whale oil candle factories (ibid). The Brown family though used slave labor in their business enterprises and domestic purposes and was not involved in serious slave trading business. However, they were not unfamiliar to the arena either, which is revealed in reports that show James Brown sending a cargo ship in 1736 to Africa; this ship (named as Mary and which was ?rst slave ship) brought back African slaves to Rhode island via West Indies, and several of these slaves were kept for personal use by the family. Besides this voyage, the family took part in slave trading (selling and purchasing in small amounts) in individual capacities or in small groups. Later, there were more voyages to Africa to bring in more slaves and one of these the Sally, which started its journey in 1764 (the year when Brown university as founded), was the most infamous one. In this journey, more than 100 Africans died owing to the terrible living conditions within the ship deck that held the enslaved. After this disaster, the brothers withdrew from slave trade due to heavy economic losses (and not due to moral and ethical values), and this was accepted by their contemporaries, as slavery was not seen as abuse of human rights at that time. Brown University developed during the time when transatlantic slave trade was at its peak, while at the same time there was an abolitionist movement growing that aimed at abolishing slavery. The 2006 Brown report found that nearly 30 of the founding governing body members of the University were involved in slave trade where they actually captained or owned ships engaged in bringing slaves from Africa, while some of the donors also provided slave labor to help in building construction work. The Brown family, which was the main benefactor of the college, owned personal slaves for domestic and plantation work and also engaged in direct slave trade, thus showing that the university had direct ties with slavery. However, one of the brothers (Moses) later turned abolitionist and even prosecuted his own brothers for conducting illegal trade in slaves, and the college was never involved in direct slave trading or had its own personal slaves (Bender, 1992) for performing any kind of labour after it started functioning. 1.5 Conclusion The ties that Brown University had with slavery was primarily related to the donations that it received during its formative years when the benefactors were involved in slave trading or owned slaves. Therefore, here one can derive that the wealth that helped the University develop and establish itself during the initial years came from businesses that involved slave trading and slave labour, which in turn were based on strong elements of racism and in some instances gross abuse of human rights. In this context, the Brown University’s decision to make a thorough investigation into its own history was undertaken to understand the past legacy, acknowledge the aforementioned facts (of its ties to slavery), and take steps to mend the current situation and bring in a sense of equality and justice towards all those who suffered in the past. The committee that submitted this report suggested that a memorial could be commissioned to acknowledge the indirect ties that the University had with slave trade and slavery, which must necessarily involve the entire campus and various communities that reside in Rhode Island (Brown University, Report of Commission on Memorials, 2009). The Committee also feels that the history of the island and the college must be made a part of the curriculum (the Brown curriculum and at K-12 levels also) so that the students are aware of their past and not ashamed of it or feel biased against it. The Committee further recommended that the University provide financial assistance for various public seminars and events on matters and subjects that would help the local Rhode Island communities understand and re?ect on the region’s history as regards slave trade and slavery and on significance of other similar human rights abuse in various parts of the world (Brown University, Report of Commission on Memorials, 2009). References Barzel, Y. (1977). An Economic Analysis of Slavery. Journal of Law and Economics, 20, 87-110. Bender, T., (ed.). (1992). The Antislavery Debate: Capitalism and Abolitionism as a Problem in Historical Interpretation. Berkeley: University of California Press. Berlin, I. (2003). Generations of Captivity: A History of African American Slaves. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. Brown University. (2009). Report of Commission on Memorials. Retrieved from http://brown.edu/Research/Slavery_Justice/documents/memorials.pdf. Coughtry, J., (1981). The Notorious Triangle: Rhode Island and the African Slave Trade 1700-1807. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Greene, L. (1974). The Negro in Colonial New England, 1620-1776. N.Y.: Atheneum. Horton, J., & Horton, L. (2005). Slavery and the Making of America. NY: OUP. Jennings, F. (1975). The Invasion of America: Indians, Colonialism, and the Cant of Conquest. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. Johnson, E. (2006). Slavery Funds Helped Found Brown University. Retrieved from http://www.nysun.com/national/slavery-funds-helped-found-brown- university/41844/ McCusker, J. (1989). Rum and the American Revolution: The Rum Trade and the Balance of Payments of the Thirteen Continental Colonies. New York: Garland Publishing. Puryear, E. (2006). Brown University admits complicity in slave trade: Takes some remedial measures, more needed. Retrieved from http://www.pslweb.org/liberationnews/news/06-10-24-brown-university-admits- complici.html Report of the Brown University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice. (2006). Retrieved from http://brown.edu/Research/Slavery_Justice/documents/SlaveryAndJustice.pdf Sheridan, R. (1974). Sugar and Slavery: An Economic History of the British West Indies, 1623-1775. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Stanley, L. (Fall 2002). Rhode Island and the Slave Trade. Rhode Island History 60 (4), 95–104. Wilder, C. (2010). Ebony and Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America's Universities. London: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. Yasuba, Y. (1961). The Profitability and Viability of Slavery in the U.S. Economic Studies Quarterly, 12, 60-67. Read More