[37] Roothaan was particularly concerned because it had become clear that, contrary to his order, families had been separated by the slaves' new owners. Ashby's account book at Newtown.For a spreadsheet with all the data transcribed, seeGSA5. The researchers have used archival records to follow their footsteps, from the Jesuit plantations in Maryland, to the docks of New Orleans, to three plantations west and south of Baton Rouge, La. It would not survive, Father Mulledy feared, without an influx of cash. Father Van de Velde begged Jesuit leaders to send money for the construction of a church that would provide for the salvation of those poor people, who are now utterly neglected.. She feels great sadness as she envisions Cornelius as a young boy, torn from everything he knew. Required fields are marked *. Now they are real to me, she said, more real every day.. [17], Mulledy and McSherry became increasingly vocal in their opposition to Jesuit slave ownership. [32] An unknown number of slaves may also have run away and escaped transportation. It is also emblematic of the complex entanglement of American higher education and religious institutions with slavery. [36], Soon after the sale, Roothaan decided that Mulledy should be removed as provincial superior. [41] The Jesuits never received the total $115,000 that was owed under the agreement. CNN In 1838, the Jesuits who ran Georgetown University sold 272 enslaved people to pay off the university's debts. It is necessary to keep in mind that these people were free in their native country and enslaved once they got to America. His owner, Mr. Batey, had died, and Cornelius appeared on the plantations inventory, which included 27 mules and horses, 32 hogs, two ox carts and scores of other slaves. Please contact us at members@americamedia.org with any questions. [68], Georgetown University also extended to descendants of slaves that the Jesuits owned or whose labor benefitted the university the same preferential legacy status in university admission given to children of Georgetown alumni. [46] Due to financial difficulties, Johnson sold half his property, including some of the slaves he had purchased in 1838, to Philip Barton Key in 1844. The site includes a searchable database with genealogies of descendants who have died. Slaves and the products they produced were responsible for well over 50% of the entire GNP of the United States. As early as the 1780s, Dr. Rothman found, they openly discussed the need to cull their stock of human beings. In all, the Jesuits sold 314 men, women and children over . As Black Americans as descendants of enslaved people we have always been told youll never know who you are. [40] The remaining $17,000, equivalent to approximately $440,000 in 2021,[25] was used to offset part of Georgetown College's $30,000 of debt that had accrued during the construction of buildings during Mulledy's prior presidency of the college. Login to post. A Reflection for Saturday of the First Week of Lent, by Christopher Parker. As a result, he had to sell his property in the 1840s and renegotiate the terms of his payment. Despite coverage of the Maryland Jesuits' slave ownership and the 1838 sale in academic literature, news of these facts came as a surprise to the public in 2015, prompting a study of Georgetown University's and Jesuits' historical relationship with slavery. [12], One of the Maryland Jesuits' institutions, Georgetown College (later known as Georgetown University), also rented slaves. Jesuit Father Hans Zollner will be a consultant for the Diocese of Romes office dedicated to safeguarding minors and vulnerable people. Ms. Crump, 69, has been asking herself that question, too. [31][b] There are several reasons many slaves were left behind. A problem can is not solved without first recognizing it, discussing it and taking steps to rectify the long term damage that continues to this day. Dr. Rothman, the Georgetown historian, heard about Mr. Cellinis efforts and let him know that he and several of his students were also tracing the slaves. Other slaves were sold locally in Maryland so that they would not be separated from their spouses who were either free or owned by non-Jesuits, in compliance with Roothaan's order. We encourage you to use these links as we receive a small royalty paid by the partner allowing you to help us without cost to you. [27], The articles of agreement listed each of the slaves being sold by name. Others, including two of Corneliuss uncles, ran away before they could be captured. -- Georgetown University has announced that descendants of 272 slaves, from whose sale the school profited in 1838, will receive "an advantage in the admissions process" as part of a larger . [16] Mulledy in particular felt that the plantations were a drain on the Maryland Jesuits; he urged selling the plantations as well as the slaves, believing the Jesuits were only able to support either their estates or their schools in growing urban areas: Georgetown College in Washington, D.C. and St. John's College in Frederick, Maryland. In all, the Jesuits sold 314 men, women and children over a 5-year period stretching from 1838 to 1843. This was a great cause of the wealth of the slaveowners who took advantage of land stolen from the original owners, the Native Americans who had lived here for centuries. And the 1838 sale worth about $3.3 million in todays dollars was organized by two of Georgetowns early presidents, both Jesuit priests. He was not yet five feet tall when he sailed onboard the Katharine Jackson, one of several vessels that carried the slaves to the port of New Orleans. The plantation would be sold again and again and again, records show, but Corneliuss family remained intact. Logging in will also give you access to commenting features on our website. The grave of Cornelius Hawkins, one of 272 slaves sold by the Jesuits in 1838 to help keep what is now Georgetown University afloat.CreditWilliam Widmer for The New York Times. [50], The 1838 slave sale returned to the public's awareness in the mid-2010s. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/17/us/georgetown-university-search-for-slave-descendants.html. [37] As censure for the scandal,[39] Roothaan ordered Mulledy to remain in Europe,[35] and Mulledy lived in exile in Nice until 1843. James Van de Velde, a Jesuit who visited Louisiana, wrote in a letter in 1848. He addressed his concerns to Father Mulledy, who three years earlier had returned to his post as president of Georgetown. [4][a] Several of the Jesuits' slaves unsuccessfully attempted to sue for their freedom in the courts in the 1790s. Soon, the two men and their teams were working on parallel tracks. Georgetown Jesuits enslaved her ancestors. What Does It Owe Their Descendants? But the decision to sell virtually all of their enslaved African-Americans in the 1830s left some priests deeply troubled. The records describe runaways, harsh plantation conditions and the anguish voiced by some Jesuits over their participation in a system of forced servitude. [71] The university instead decided to raise $400,000 per year in voluntary donations for the benefit of descendants. Meanwhile, Georgetowns working group has been weighing whether the university should apologize for profiting from slave labor, create a memorial to those enslaved and provide scholarships for their descendants, among other possibilities, said Dr. Rothman, the historian. After the sale, Cornelius vanishes from the public record until 1851 when his trail finally picks back up on a cotton plantation near Maringouin, La. This resulted in families being split for economic reasons with no consideration of human relationships. Several substitutions were made to the initial list of those to be sold, and 91 of those initially listed remained in Maryland. June 1838 the University benefited from the sale of 272 slaves, some as young as 2 months old to finance the ailing institution. The presidents of Harvard University and Georgetown University discuss their institutions historic ties to slavery in a conversation with Ta-Nehisi Coates. The articles of agreement listed each of the slaves by name to be sold. What remains is what is owed to the descendants. [49] There was periodic and sometimes extensive coverage of both the sale and the Jesuits' slave ownership in various literature. Examined and found correct, he wrote of Cornelius and the 129 other people he found on the ship. Father Mulledy promised his superiors that the slaves would continue to practice their religion. In recognizing the role Georgetown in the use of slaves as money, they are recognizing some of the depths of what slavery actually represented. If you login and register your print subscription number with your account, youll have unlimited access to the website. In addition to the summary above, it is our intent to provide you with a more detailed look at the matter by providing videos and books that allow a deeper view. Today the Society of Jesus, who helped to establish Georgetown University and whose leaders enslaved and mercilessly sold your ancestors, stands before you to say that we have greatly sinned, said Rev. Now comes the task of making amends. That alumnus, Richard J. Cellini, the chief executive of a technology company and a practicing Catholic, was troubled that neither the Jesuits nor university officials had tried to trace the lives of the enslaved African-Americans or compensate their progeny. Wondering why we ask for your email, or having trouble registering. There was no need for a map. They recognize that despite their principals, they recognized the theft of labor, the destruction of families and the long term devastation that this inflicted on an entire race of people. [39], While Roothaan ordered that the proceeds of the sale be used to provide for the training of Jesuits, the initial $25,000 was not used for that purpose. New England ship builders made ships to bring people to this country. As part of Georgetown University's Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation initiative, students in Professor Adam Rothman's fall 2019 UNXD 272 class researched buildings and sites on Georgetown's campus to provide historical context for understanding their significance. this helps us promote a safe and accountable online community, and allows us to update you when other commenters reply to your posts. [24] When he returned in November to gather the rest of the slaves, the plantation managers had their slaves flee and hide. Her great-uncle had the name, as did one of her cousins. March 24, 2017. He might have disappeared from view again for a time, save for something few could have counted on: his deep, abiding faith. Georgetown University Sold Hundreds of SlavesDoes That Still Matter? [48] In 1977, the Maryland Province named Georgetown's Lauinger Library as the custodian of its historic archives, which were made available to the public through the Georgetown University Library, Saint Louis University Library, and Maryland State Library.