This blog includes text and images drawn from historical sources that may contain material that is offensive or harmful. We strive to accurately represent the past while being sensitive to the needs and concerns of our audience. If you have any feedback to share on this topic, please either comment on a relevant post, or use our Ask Us form to contact us.

Tag: race

  • This Week in Princeton History for October 19-25

    In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, two members of the Class of 1979 are running against each other for Congress, the first director of the Program in Women’s Studies is named, and more. October 19, 1900—Topeka’s Colored Citizen reports that…

  • Princeton’s “Saturnalia”: Commencement Prior to 1844

    2020 brought changes to Princeton University’s academic calendar, some planned, and some in response to the global coronavirus pandemic. This shift to an earlier start and end of Princeton’s academic year is not its first. Its historically most drastic change in the calendar came about for a surprising reason: Moving Commencement from September to June…

  • This Week in Princeton History for July 27-August 2

    In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, the governor seals the college charter, trends in the overall diversity of the incoming class are mixed, and more. July 27, 1942—A Daily Princetonian editorial criticizes Secretary of State Cordell Hull for “abundant lip…

  • This Week in Princeton History for October 21-27

    In this week’s installment of our recurring series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a guest speaker urges his audience to hold men and women to the same moral standards, the Princetonian urges smokers not to inhale, and more. October 21, 1976—Randall Kennedy ’77, one of six students…

  • This Week in Princeton History for October 1-7

    In this week’s installment of our returning series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a recent graduate engages in civil disobedience, Albert Einstein sets sail for Princeton, and more. October 1, 1984—Leo Schiff ’83 breaks into a military facility in Rhode Island to disarm nuclear warheads as part…

  • This Week in Princeton History for September 3-9

    In this week’s installment of our returning series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a junior’s work on racial justice nets results locally, another junior hitches a ride on the presidential plane, and more. September 3, 1992—Partly in response to efforts by Yolanda N. Pierce ’94, student representative…

  • This Week in Princeton History for November 27-December 3

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, undergraduates protest the presence of African Americans in chapel, a computer virus is spreading all over campus, and more. November 28, 1868—Students at the College of New Jersey (Princeton) begin circulating a petition to…

  • This Week in Princeton History for November 6-12

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a professor helps determine election results in 30 states, a donor’s generous gift allows for the building of a new dorm, and more. November 7, 1972—Politics professor Edward R. Tufte is one of NBC’s…

  • This Week in Princeton History for October 30-November 5

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a letter provokes debate over race, undergraduates complain of excessive demands on their time, and more. October 30, 1942—A. M. Shumate ’29’s letter to the editor of the Princeton Alumni Weekly takes Daily Princetonian…

  • This Week in Princeton History for March 6-12

    In this week’s installment of our ongoing series bringing you the history of Princeton University and its faculty, students, and alumni, a professor wins an Oscar, Muhammad Ali talks about race and religion, and more. March 6, 1993—Sharon Stone presents associate professor of computer science Patrick Hanrahan with an Academy Award for Science and Engineering…