Facing Georgetown's History

Georgetown was built on the foundation of slavery despite its Jesuit values. Slavery was deeply ingrained into the institution, in spite of all the contradictions between Jesuit values and the concept of slavery. Everyone ranging from administration to students actively participated in upholding the institution of slavery. They did not only participate, but the university actively encouraged them to do so. The tone in the recorded documents highlights how the ownership and trading of slaves were tried to be morally justified. Additionally, treatment of those who were enslaved continued to be recorded, such as their admittance to a segregated church until their freedom. Slavery can be found in the foundations and the expansion of the institution since Georgetown essentially made profit from the slaves that eventually contributed to further building the university.

This exhibit was created by the students in the Fall 2020 course, HIST106: Atlantic World, at Georgetown University Qatar. The course members assembled these materials to help members of the GUQ community participate in an informed way with ongoing discussions about slavery, memory, and reparations at Georgetown University, drawing on sources from the Georgetown Slavery Archive and the research of the Working Group on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation

Credits

Atlantic World, Fall 2020