A critical examination of Dartmouth's historical connections to the transatlantic slave trade
Introduction
Introduction
One of nine colonial colleges, Dartmouth was founded in 1769. Its mission was to assimilate Indigenous communities into Anglo-settler society, and to disseminate New Light Christian beliefs through education. The Dartmouth and Slavery Project provides a critical examination of Dartmouth's historical connections to the transatlantic slave trade, and examines the notion of a free North versus a slave South.
The Dartmouth and Slavery Project is an ongoing exploration; content will be added to the website as research progresses. Please check back often to learn about our recent findings.
"Northern Hospitality - New-York nine months' law" from The American Anti-Slavery Almanac for 1840. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
1620-1769
This section provides the historical context for and the story of Eleazar Wheelock and the founding of Dartmouth College, and the role of enslaved people in the institution's early history.
Frontispiece of Joan Blaeu, Geographica, vol. 11, Amsterdam, 1662
Image from The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom By Wilbur Henry Siebert, Macmillan, 1898
Image of the Congregational Church in Lebanon, Connecticut, from John Warner Barber, Connecticut Historical Collections, 1836
Anne Morrison to Eleazar Wheelock, bill of sale for Exeter, Cloe, and Hercules, for the sum of £75. 1762 May 13. Hartford, CT
"Hoeing and Planting Cotton Seeds, South Carolina" from Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly, 1880
William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth, by Nathaniel Hone, 1777