How many slaves did Georgetown University sell?

The harrowing story of the 1838 sale of 272 people to two plantation owners in Louisiana is told over an extended chapter. It documents how families were callously split apart, despite orders from leaders in Rome. The transaction made the Jesuits and Georgetown about $115,000 in profit ($3.78m in today's terms).

How many slaves did Georgetown sell?

Even opposition from many of their own priests did not deter them from the steps they were about to take. The Jesuits had made a list of the people they planned to sell: 272 enslaved men, women and children who labored on their Maryland plantations.

How was Georgetown University involved in slavery?

Research shows the college relied on Jesuit plantations in Maryland to help finance its operations. And in 1838, more than 270 slaves were sold to keep the school afloat. Some of the descendants of those slaves live here in Minnesota.

Did Georgetown sell their ancestors?

The GU272 were enslaved people who were sold by Georgetown University and the Maryland Jesuits to southern Louisiana in 1838. Many of their descendants still live in southern Maryland and Louisiana today. Here are a few indicators you may be related: Your family is black or mixed race, with ties to slavery.

What did Georgetown University do in 1838?

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. In 1838, to save Georgetown University from financial ruin, the Society of Jesus sold more than 272 enslaved people from their five Maryland plantations.

The sale of slaves saved Georgetown University: will descendants be repaid? | Nightline

Why is Georgetown University so famous?

Georgetown University is one of the world's leading academic and research institutions. The school is nationally recognized for academics and offers a unique educational experience that prepares the next generation of global citizens to lead and make a difference in the world.

Did Georgetown University apologize for slavery?

WASHINGTON — In a special ceremony Tuesday morning, the Jesuit order that founded Georgetown University formally apologized to the descendants of 272 slaves sold in 1838 to pay off the university's debts.

Who was the first black student at Georgetown?

Georgetown's first Black student, Samuel A. Halsey Jr., graduated from the SFS evening school in 1953, and the next Black student would not be admitted to Georgetown College until the 1960s, according to the Black Book of Georgetown.

When did Georgetown admit black students?

The university did not admit its first Black student, Samuel Halsey, until 1953—and then only to the School of Foreign Service night school. The student population would not include a significant percentage of Black students until much later.

Who was the first black president of Georgetown University?

Patrick F. Healy was inaugurated as president of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Healy was the first African American to become president of a predominantly white university.

What colleges profited from slavery?

Dozens of American colleges and universities are investigating their historic ties to the slave trade and debating how to atone. Profits from slavery and related industries helped fund some of the most prestigious schools in the Northeast, including Harvard, Columbia, Princeton and Yale.

What university was built by slaves?

University of Virginia

Between 1817 and 1865, approximately 4,000 enslaved people worked on the University of Virginia's campus. All of the men involved in the founding of the university were slaveowners.

What did Harvard do with slaves?

The committee found that Harvard faculty and staff enslaved 70 people from the school's founding in 1636 to the banning of slavery in Massachusetts in 1783. Some of those who were enslaved lived on campus and were responsible for providing care for Harvard's presidents, professors and students.

Did Georgetown University sell slaves?

Swarns sets out the involvement of the Jesuit priests who administered what is now Georgetown University (where I teach) in the institution of slavery—notably, through their sale of two hundred and seventy-two enslaved people, in June, 1838.

Are there any descendants of slavery in Georgetown?

In 1838, Maryland Jesuits sold 272 people who worked on their plantations, breaking apart families and using the profit to benefit the university. The GU272 Descendants Association represents thousands of people; there are about 13,000 known descendants now, and the number keeps growing.

Were slaves sold to fund Georgetown University?

Swarns documents the family's subsequent forced separation as part of the sale of 272 people to plantations in Louisiana in order to fund the expansion of the newly founded Georgetown College.

What happened at Georgetown University in 2000?

On Friday, Feb. 18, 2000, Shick and his friends were returning to campus from a sports bar, Champions, at 2:30 a.m. They ran into a group of men's soccer players in the library parking lot, and a physical altercation broke out after Shick and one of the athletes bumped into each other.

What percent of Georgetown students are black?

Georgetown's admissions process has always been inequitable by design. Even when affirmative action was in place, Georgetown's student body skewed overwhelmingly white and wealthy. As of 2021-22, Black and Hispanic/Latino students comprised 4.8 and 6.7 percent of Georgetown's undergraduate student body, respectively.

Which famous person went to Georgetown University?

Other notable Georgetown alumni in the field of theater and film include Bradley Cooper (COL '97), Clayton Lord (CAS '03), Jamie Gahlon (SFS '07), Isaiah Wooden (COL '04) and many others.

What major is Georgetown University known for?

Why is Georgetown called a Hoya?

The team name is derived from the mixed Greek and Latin chant "Hoya Saxa" (meaning "What Rocks"), which gained popularity at the school in the late nineteenth century. The name "Hoyas" came into use in the 1920s. Most teams have their athletic facilities on the main campus of Georgetown University.

What is the controversy with Georgetown University?

Conservative legal scholar Ilya Shapiro, who riled law students and critics in January with Twitter messages suggesting President Joe Biden's pledge to nominate a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme court would result in a “lesser nominee,” will not be joining Georgetown University Law Center after all.

What did Bill Clinton study in Georgetown?

With the aid of scholarships, Clinton attended the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., receiving a Bachelor of Science in foreign service degree in 1968. Georgetown was the only university where Clinton applied. In 1964 and 1965, Clinton won elections for class president.

Why was Rachel sold?

When was Rachel's sale arranged? Why was she sold? Rachel's sale was arranged before she was born. She was sold to settle her enslaver's debt.