The Linkage of the American Colleges and Universities to the Propagation of Racism and Slavery
Introduction
The relationship between the higher education, slavery and race has drawn interests to many historians who have generated interests to uncover wealth of information about how the early American universities and colleges are linked to the chattel slavery, colonization schemes, exploitation of the natives and the scientific racism. Several institution of the higher learning that existed during the colonial era in America such as Harvard, Emory, University of Virginia and Maryland have been linked with slavery and racism which led to the exploitation of the natives. There is significant evidence that reveals that these institutions contributed in propagating of racism and slavery. For instance, Craig Steven Wilder in his book, Ebony and Ivy: Race, Slavery and the Troubled History of America’s Universities clearly illustrates how the institutions of higher learning contributed in spreading issues of racism and slavery during the colonial and post colonial era in America. For instance, the professors who were responsible for teaching in these institutions postulated theories that revealed that white people were more superior to the people of color. In addition, the money that was generated by the slaves in the plantations as well as the profits returns realized from slave trade was also used to fund these institutions and to determine their locations. In all these aspects, the American colleges and universities contributed in propagating the issues of racism in the country. Wilder clearly illustrates that the institutions of higher learning contributed in refining as well as popularizing language of race and slavery by providing the intellectual cover for the political and social subjugation of people who were not whites. Despite the fact that Wilder uses sufficient evidence to support his claim, some people feel that he was subjective in the sense that he looked at the issue from one angle. They argue that he could have balanced his opinion by focusing how the people of color benefited from these institutions. This paper aims at investigating if the American colleges and universities existed during colonial era contributed in propagating racism and slavery as well as exploitation of the non-whites.
There is evidence that reveals that the early higher academic institutions such as colleges and universities in America were the beneficiaries of slave economy. As a consequence, they furthered the system of inequalities by exercising the intellectual power and through production of knowledge. The professors who were teaching in these institutions postulated theories that revealed that the whites were more superior to the African American and this contributed in subjecting the latter to many problems[1]. For instance, the professors in these colleges postulated theories of the racial differences as well as scientific claims that revealed white supremacy and they contributed significantly in the validation of the white supremacy in the mid to the late 18th century by promoting scientific colonization as well as racism. Moreover, they also facilitated in development of negative stereotypes about the that people of color were inferior to the whites and they therefore deserved to be treated indifferently. The Harvard anatomist by the name professor Warren showed that in the physical development, the black people are located at the bottom of the humanity in relation to cultural accomplishment as well as intellectual potential[2]. All these teachings contributed in widening the gap between the whites and the blacks in America as they provided convincing grounds to many that there were differences between whites and non-whites. Furthermore, they also disseminated the ideas which popularized a language of race and at the same time provided the cover for political and social subjugation of the non-whites[3]. These theories supported the natural dominion of the whites as many professors teaching around this time empirically confirmed backwardness of the non-whites and the supremacy of the Europeans. For instance, Thomas Jefferson, the founder of the University of Virginia drew nefarious racial distinction between the Caucasians and the African Americans[4]. There is reasonable ground therefore for one to believe that the institutions of higher learning contributed in the propagation of racism and slavery as well as exploitation of the black people as well as other minority groups as these teaching promulgated these teachings from generation to the other.
The other interesting finding in the Wilder book is that the American colleges as well as universities were being funded by the returns that were realized from the plantations and these institutions therefore they supported slavery[5]. The slaves, who were mostly the African Americans and other minority groups provided cheap labor to these plantations. In the Antebellum South, the profit from cotton plantation was being used to fund the expansion of education infrastructure. Colleges and universities supported slavery which was characterized by the exploitation of the black in order to be funded[6]. In fact, education was ranked third after church and state among the institutions that promoted civilization built on bondage[7]. In addition, the money from the slave trade was also used to finance the higher education institutions. In mid 18th century, the merchants that were involved in the slave trade, replaced the religious organizations which were initially the primary source of the fund for the colonial colleges. As a consequence, the universities and colleges cultivated the relationships with the West Indian slave owners who acted as the donors and trustees[8]. Furthermore, they also offered many scholarships to the white’s people who intended to further their education and they bankrolled the building campaigns., Wider also shows that the institutions of higher learning supported the relationship by inviting them to be the trustees of the institutions and at the same time recruiting their sons to be their officials[9]. According to Feagin, Harvard (1636), Yale (1701), William and Mary (1693) as well as New Jersey (1746) were the first colonial colleges and they relied on the funding coming from the slave-holders[10].
The institutions of higher learning also contributed in propagating the issues of slavery by sending their graduates to the Antebellum South to act as the teachers and clergies. These graduates contributed in the promoting slavery and racism by putting by disseminating the information they learnt in the class that revealed that the whites were superior to the non- whites[11]. Being teachers, they could therefore easily pass the knowledge to the students thereby instilling them with the ideas that made them develop negative perceptions and stereotypes about the blacks and other non-whites. The college of New Jersey and Harvard University were among the institutions of the higher learning that sent a large number of the graduates to the south to act as the tutors as well as clergy’s and this contributed in the establishment of the interregional allegiances which persisted through the Civil War[12]. The author reveals many graduates from the North travelled to the south to search the job opportunities as the plantations where slave-owners funded these institutions. Wilder also reveals that graduates armed with the theories of the racial differences and which were based on the scientific claims that the white people were superior[13]. These reasons reveal the importance of the social capital in the development of the early American education which in one way contributed to the marginalization of the African Americans through exploitation as slaves.
The Europeans individuals were mostly the masters of the African American Slaves as well as other indigenous groups such as the Natives. There is evidence that reveal that the Europeans founded the schools in order to exploit declining Indian as well as the rise of the African Slavery. Wilder reveals that some campuses were decorated by the bones of Native Indians and they provided discussions of impending extinction of the Natives people. The slaves were also exploited to provide cheap labor in the construction of some of the of colleges and universities buildings. For instance, the University of Carolina and parts of the Dartmouth University were built by the slaves who provided cheap labor. Wilder reveals that the presence of the slaves in the education institutions acquainted the students with the uninitiated slavery and its methods and in many of the universities and colleges’, faculty staffs as well as administrative staffs were the whites[14]. The college trustees and the students were from the slaveholding families. The black people were only allocated the menial positions and they only worked as the servants and they were seen as the objects[15]. In this case, one can argue that the institutions of the higher learning in American can be linked with the rise of slavery and racism in the region. The slaves provided the cheap labor in the construction of building blocks and they were not given an opportunity to study in these institutions. Feagins points out that the enslaved workers built the nations educational infrastructures despite the fact that most of their work was ignored in the mainstream media and books. For instance, the labor of the black people directly or indirectly contributed played a significant role in construction of the early colonial universities and colleges which were developed to facilitate the legitimate expansion of the slave-centered economic system[16].
Wilder also illustrated clearly how the trustees and presidents of colleges participated in the American Colonization Society. These individuals contributed in the development of slavery by supporting it. For instance, the president of the Connecticut’s colleges and the universities was the leader of one of American Colonization Society which was founded in the year 1817 in order to move the free black people out of United States[17]. In addition, these college officials also owned the slaves that provided labor to the schools by either cleaning the administration blocks or the student’s rooms.
Despite the fact that Wilder has provided a clear picture of how the Universities and Colleges are closely linked to the slavery and racism in the colonial era, he is biased in the sense that he has only focused on side on how the people of color fallen a victim but not how they benefited. As much as this institution contributed in marginalizing the minorities and degrading them by instilling ideas that made people to develop perceptions that the people of color were inferior, Wilder overlooks the fact that there were some from the minority groups who benefited from these institutions[18]. He could have balanced his opinion and look somehow objective by showing the people of color also benefited from these colleges and universities. For instance, there are number of abolitionists who undergone through these institutions and they later contributed in the abolition of slavery in the country. Wilder is therefore subjective as he has only looked the link between the slavery and racism and the colleges and the universities[19].
As much as the institutions of the higher learning in America contributed in improving the lives of some people of color but Wilder never focused on these issues thereby making his stand on the issue be somehow subjective, there is significant evidence that colleges and universities led to the increase of racism and slavery cases[20]. They contributed in the dissemination of ideas that made the natives and people of color to look inferior in order to disposes their native lands and be in a position to exploit them for their own economic gains and prosperity. The institutions of higher learning greatly contributed in increased cases of slavery and racism.
Conclusion
Wilder in his book has clearly provides a convincing evidence about the linkage of racism and the development of the early American colleges and universities. These institutions contributed in the development of slavery by exploiting the black people as a source of labor and at the same time being funded by the funds that originated by from slavery. Furthermore, most of the students were from slave holding families and they were being run the slaveholders who acted as the trustees and donors. Lastly, they also contributed in propagation of slavery by disseminating information that made the minorities to look inferior thereby getting opportunities to dispossess their resources. Early colleges and universities in America are therefore closely linked to development of slavery and racism.
Bibliography
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[1] Craig Steven, Wilder. Ebony & ivy: Race, slavery, and the troubled history of America's universities.(2014), p. 3.
[2] Wilder, p. 2.
[3] Ibid, p. 3.
4 Phyllis K. [4] Leffler "Ebony and Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America's Universities." African American Review 47, no. 4 (Winter2014 2014):587.
[5] Christopher, Malone. "Ebony and Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America's Universities/The People's Martyr: Thomas Wilson Dorr and His 1842 Rhode Island Rebellion." Journal Of The Early Republic 34, no. 3 (Fall2014 2014): p. 514.
[6] IBID, p. 515.
[7] EBONY AND IVY Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America's Universities." Kirkus Reviews 81, no. 15 (August 2013): 146
[8] Raymond. "Tainted Fortunes." Academic Questions 27, no. 4 (December 2014): 492
[10] Joe R. Feagin .How Blacks Built America: Labor, Culture, Freedom, and Democracy. (Routledge, 2015.), p26.
[11] Leffler, p. 587.
[12] Wilder, p. 2.
[13] Ibid. p.
[14] Feagins, p.4.
[15] Wilder, p. 3.
[16] Feagins, p. 26.
[17] Wilder, p.3.
[18] Malone, p.179.
[19] Edward L. Ayers "Ebony and Ivy: Race, Slavery, and the Troubled History of America's Universities." Journal Of Southern History 81, no. 1 (February 2015): p.179.
