Youll never know where you came from, said Mlisande Short-Colomb, a descendant of the group of slaves, in a statement about the project. The grave of Cornelius Hawkins, one of 272 slaves sold by the Jesuits in 1838 to help keep what is now Georgetown University afloat. But the decision to sell virtually all of their enslaved African-Americans in the 1830s left some priests deeply troubled. Father Van de Velde begged Jesuit leaders to send money for the construction of a church that would provide for the salvation of those poor people, who are now utterly neglected.. 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. It soon became clear that Roothaan's conditions had not been fully met. What Does It Owe Their Descendants? We have been here since the founding of this country, and we are a significant part of the American experience.. [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. To this day the search continues. [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. 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. On Juneteenth, the debate comes to Congress. She does not put much stock in what she describes as casual institutional apologies. But she would like to see a scholarship program that would bring the slaves descendants to Georgetown as students. [2] As the sole ministers of Catholicism in Maryland at the time, the Jesuit estates became the centers of Catholicism. The enslaved African-Americans had belonged to the nations most prominent Jesuit priests. Only 206 of the 272 slaves were actually delivered because the Jesuits permitted the elderly and those with spouses living nearby and not owned by Jesuits to remain in Maryland. 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. And she learned that Cornelius had worked the soil of a 2,800-acre estate that straddled the Bayou Maringouin. [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. The articles of agreement listed each of the slaves by name to be sold. We also hope to work with you on additional opportunities for engaging with those who many not be able to attend in-person gatherings. Were sorry registration isn't working smoothly for you. A Reflection for Friday of the First Week of Lent, by Jill Rice. In fact, Harvard, Columbia, Brown, University of Virginia did as well. in Fr. Limit 20 per day. A Reader on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation A microcosm of the history of American slavery in a collection of the most important primary and secondary readings on slavery at Georgetown University and among the Maryland Jesuits Georgetown Universitys early history, closely tied to that of the Society of Jesus in Maryland, is a microcosm of the history of American slavery: the entrenchment of chattel slavery in the tobacco economy of the Chesapeake in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; the contradictions of liberty and slavery at the founding of the United States; the rise of the domestic slave trade to the cotton and sugar kingdoms of the Deep South in the nineteenth century; the political conflict over slavery and its overthrow amid civil war; and slaverys persistent legacies of racism and inequality. In addition to the summary above, it is our intent to provide you with a more detailed look at the matter by providing videos and books that allow a deeper view. Georgetown was a prominent Jesuit priests. [56] An undergraduate student also brought this to public attention in several articles published by the school newspaper, The Hoya between 2014 and 2015, about the university's relationship with slavery and the slave sale. Now students, professors and alumni want to know what happened to those men and women and what the university will do moving forward. 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. Mr. Cellini was on the line. We pray with you today because we have greatly sinned and because we are profoundly sorry. This message was delivered to more than 100 descendants of the original enslaved people who had been sol to finance the institution. List of slaves - Wikipedia Hundreds of Blacks were slaughtered and 10,000 left homeless in this largely unknown event. This has made people reluctant to see the past and this has had a long term harm by remaining hidden and allowed to fester. It is interesting that the date was June 19th as many years later, it was on what is now recognized as Juneteenth. Soon, the two men and their teams were working on parallel tracks. Georgetown University, GU272 Slaves - WikiTree 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.. Kenney found the slaves facing arbitrary discipline, a meager diet, pastoral neglect, and engaging in vice. To see the posts, click here. It will challenge and change your understanding of what we were as Americans and of what we are. Chicago Tribune In this groundbreaking historical expos, Douglas A. Blackmon brings to light one of the most shameful chapters in American history an Age of Neo slavery that thrived from the aftermath of the Civil War through the dawn of World War II. There is joy in that, she said, exhilaration even. In all, the Jesuits sold 314 men, women and children over a 5-year period stretching from 1838 to 1843. this helps us promote a safe and accountable online community, and allows us to update you when other commenters reply to your posts. Eventually, Roothaan removed Thomas Mulledy as provincial superior for disobeying orders and promoting scandal, exiling him to Nice for several years. Melvin Robert and Joya Mia Italiano look into Georgetown Universitys response on the Lip News. If youre already a subscriber or donor, thank you! Leaders in policy, business, technology, science, history, arts and culture engaged with top journalists on the most consequential issues of our time. Although the working group was established in August, it was student demonstrations at Georgetown in the fall that helped to galvanize alumni and gave new urgency to the administrations efforts. Cornelius had originally been shipped to a plantation so far from a church that he had married in a civil ceremony. In April 2017, Georgetown renamed buildings that had honored university leaders responsible for selling those enslaved Africans to Louisiana plantations. Descendants are learning new links to their pasts as a result of the project. What it feels like to see your name on a list of slaves sold by - MSN In the list are links to affiliate partners. [69] Several groups of descendants have been created, which have lobbied Georgetown University and the Society of Jesus for reparations, and groups have disagreed with the form that their desired reparations should take. 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. [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. Georgetown and the Society of Jesus Maryland Province have issued an apology for their role in this action to more than 100 descendants who had been traced at the time of the apology. Modern Countries That Still Have Slavery | The Borgen Project (RNS) A genealogical association has launched a new website detailing the family histories of slaves who were sold to keep Catholic-run Georgetown University from bankruptcy in the 1800s. Check out some of the. Relationship Counseling - Marriage resources, Falling in Love Finding God Marriage and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology, The problem of hatredand how Christians are contributing to it, Jesuit sex abuse expert appointed to Vatican office for child protection, Sin, hell and scrupulosity: How to repent during Lent (and how not to). Her ancestors, once amorphous and invisible, are finally taking shape in her mind. 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. [46] Due to financial difficulties, Johnson sold half his property, including some of the slaves he had purchased in 1838, to Philip Barton Key in 1844. 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. Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education From Equity Talk to Equity Walk offers practical guidance on the design and application of campus change strategies for achieving equitable outcomes. A notation on the second page indicates that it was discovered by Fr. He demanded that Mulledy travel to Rome to answer the charges of disobeying orders and promoting scandal. [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. Its hard to know what could possibly reconcile a history like this, he said. It is better to prevent than to attempt to remedy. Behind her are sugar plantations and the sugar mill where her ancestors worked. He was not yet five feet tall when he sailed onboard the Katharine Jackson, one of several vessels that carried the slaves to the port of New Orleans. 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). Georgetown University was an active participant in the slave trade selling upwards of 272 slaves from their Maryland run plantation to the deep south in an effort to support the then struggling university in 1838 according to The New York Times. The site includes a searchable database with genealogies of descendants who have died. Password reset instructions will be sent to your registered email address. [52] In 2014, renovation began on Ryan and Mulledy Halls to convert them into a student residence. But when Ms. Riffel, the genealogist, told her where she thought he was buried, Ms. Crump knew exactly where to go. He has contacted a few, including Patricia Bayonne-Johnson, president of the Eastern Washington Genealogical Society in Spokane, who is helping to track the Jesuit slaves with her group. African-Americans are often a fleeting presence in the documents of the 1800s. (Courtesy of Ellender Library) In 1838, two priests who served as president of Georgetown University orchestrated the sale of 272 people to pay off debts at the school. [45] Patrick and Woolfolk's slaves were then sold in July 1859 to Emily Sparks, the widow of Austin Woolfolk. [13], Beginning in 1800, there were instances of the Jesuit plantation managers freeing individual slaves or permitting slaves to purchase their freedom. Articles in the Woodstock Letters, an internal Jesuit publication that later became accessible to the public, routinely addressed both subjects during the course of its existence from 1872 to 1969. list of slaves sold by georgetown university. Enslaved, marginalized and forced into illiteracy by laws that prohibited them from learning to read and write, many seem like ghosts who pass through this world without leaving a trace. The 1970s saw an increase in public scholarship on the Maryland Jesuits' slave ownership. This indispensable guide presents academic administrators and staff with advice on building an equity-minded campus culture, aligning strategic priorities and institutional missions to advance equity, understanding equity-minded data analysis, developing campus strategies for making excellence inclusive, and moving from a first-generation equity educator to an equity-minded practitioner. What has emerged from their research, and that of other scholars, is a glimpse of an insular world dominated by priests who required their slaves to attend Mass for the sake of their salvation, but also whipped and sold some of them. Jesse Batey died in 1851 and the White Oak Plantation was sold. Dubuisson described how the public reputation of the Jesuits in Washington and Virginia declined as a result of the sale. Inspiring Stories of Black History and Achievement, 272 Slaves Sold to Finance Georgetown University. [48] In 1977, the Maryland Province named Georgetown's Lauinger Library as the custodian of its historic archives, which were made available to the public through the Georgetown University Library, Saint Louis University Library, and Maryland State Library. For the eighth year, the Forum was hosted by The Atlantic in partnership with the Aspen Institute. Please visit ourmembership pageto learn how you can invest in our work by subscribing to the magazine or making a donation. Moreover, men and women held in bondage were also part of the day-to-day operation of Georgetown College in its early decades. [3], Much of this land was put to use as plantations, the revenue from which financed the Jesuits' ministries. [68], Georgetown University also extended to descendants of slaves that the Jesuits owned or whose labor benefitted the university the same preferential legacy status in university admission given to children of Georgetown alumni. The college relied on Jesuit plantations in Maryland to help finance its operations, university officials say. The article details how the sold slaves were transported to three Louisiana plantations, where they faced brutal treatment. [50], The 1838 slave sale returned to the public's awareness in the mid-2010s. Mr. Cellini is an unlikely racial crusader. 51 slaves were to be sent to Alexandria, Virginia, then shipped to Louisiana. A Jesuit reports on the slaves' religious life in Louisiana, 1848, Chatham Plantation, Ascension Parish, Louisiana. Please contact us at members@americamedia.org with any questions. Descendants of slaves sold by Georgetown want more than symbolic CONTENT MAY BE COPYRIGHTED BY WIKITREE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. [29] The slaves Mulledy gathered were sent on the three-week voyage aboard the Katherine Jackson,[27] which departed Alexandria on November 13 and arrived in New Orleans on December 6. None of those conditions were met, university officials said. Copyright 2023 America Press Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Close to half of them remain alive. The week also provided opportunities for members of the descendant community to connect with one another and with Jesuits through a private vigil on Monday night, a descendant-only dinner on Tuesday evening and tours of the Maryland plantation where their ancestors were enslaved. [66] In 2020, the college removed Mulledy's name. The institution came under fire last fall, with students demanding justice for the slaves in the 1838 sale. Father Mulledy took most of the down payment he received from the sale about $500,000 in todays dollars and used it to help pay off the debts that Georgetown had incurred under his leadership. From these estates, the Jesuits traveled the countryside on horseback, administering the sacraments and catechizing the Catholic laity. Georgetown University Archives The Jesuits had sold off individual slaves before. [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. Colleges and universities have placed greater emphasis on education equity in recent years. Shoes and clothing were made in the North and shipped to be used by the enslaved people. list of slaves sold by georgetown university Georgetown is not the first or only university to own slaves. Interview: Whats it like to photograph Pope Francis? GSA28: William Gaston entrusts a slave named Augustus to Fr. She runs a nonprofit, Dialogue on Race Louisiana, that offers educational programs on institutional racism and ways to combat it. You can also manage your account details and your print subscription after logging in. THEY NEED TO BE FOUND AND LINKED. Revealed: The Slave Sold to Save Georgetown Georgetown University confronts its history with slavery The first payment on the remaining $90,000 would become due after five years. [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. The Society of Jesus, whose members are known as Jesuits, established its first presence in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Thirteen Colonies alongside the first settlers of the British Province of Maryland, which had been founded as a Catholic colony and refuge. [17], Mulledy and McSherry became increasingly vocal in their opposition to Jesuit slave ownership. She still wants to know more about Corneliuss beginnings, and about his life as a free man. What remains is what is owed to the descendants. Ms. Crump, 69, has been asking herself that question, too. As early as the 1780s, Dr. Rothman found, they openly discussed the need to cull their stock of human beings. Now shes working for justice. [11] On some plantations, the majority of slaves did not work because they were too young or old. 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. 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. To see information on Juneteenth, click here. In 1844, Henry Johnson sold a share of Chatham and would eventually sell the remainder of his land and enslaved people to John R. Thompson in 1851. [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. Focus Areas - Georgetown University Many institutions owned slaves and Georgetown University was no exception. [47], While the 1838 slave sale gave rise to scandal at the time, the event eventually faded out of the public awareness. Alfred Francis Russell (1817-1884), 10th President of Liberia. This coincided with a protest by a group of students against keeping Mulledy's and McSherry's names on the buildings the day before. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Join Amazon Prime Watch Thousands of Movies & TV Shows Anytime. It would be better to suffer financial disaster than suffer the loss of our souls with the sale of the slaves, wrote the Rev. Some slaves suffered at the hands of a cruel overseer. [5] The first record of slaves working Jesuit plantations in Maryland dates to 1711, but it is likely that there were slave laborers on the plantations a generation before then. Georgetown University Slave History & Reconciliation Project - Descendants If you login and register your print subscription number with your account, youll have unlimited access to the website. William McSherry, the college presidents involved in the sale, from two campus buildings. 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. Please see also: Slaves Transported on the Katherine Jackson of Georgetown, Arriving New Orleans 6 Dec 1838, Source: "List of slaves on each estate to be sold," Box 40, Folder 10, Maryland Province Archives[2], Categories: Ascension Parish, Louisiana, Slave Owners | Ascension Parish, Louisiana, Slaves | Iberville Parish, Louisiana, Slave Owners | Iberville Parish, Louisiana, Slaves | Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia | Georgetown University Slaves | District of Columbia, Slave Owners | District of Columbia, Slaves | Maryland, Slaves | Maryland, Slave Owners, WIKITREE HOME | ABOUT | G2G FORUM | HELP | SEARCH. The Jesuits had sold off individual slaves before. [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. The New York Times would like to hear from people who have done research into their genealogical history. There are no surviving images of Cornelius, no letters or journals that offer a look into his last hours on a Jesuit plantation in Maryland. You can either click on the link in your confirmation email or simply re-enter your email address below to confirm it. [28] Most of the slaves who fled returned to their plantations, and Mulledy made a third visit later that month, where he gathered some of the remaining slaves for transport. 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. Since youre a frequent reader of our website, we want to be able to share even more great, As a frequent reader of our website, you know how important, Georgetown students voted to pay for reparations. Your source for jobs, books, retreats, and much more. Some children were sold without their parents, records show, and slaves were dragged off by force to the ship, the Rev. CNN In 1838, the Jesuits who ran Georgetown University sold 272 enslaved people to pay off the university's debts. [36], Soon after the sale, Roothaan decided that Mulledy should be removed as provincial superior.