The St. John’s College History Task Force recently sought community input on how to understand the school’s historical relationship with Indigenous and enslaved people and acknowledge that history. After the release of a historical report in November, the task force accepted community feedback and input through Dec. 12.
The task force, after reviewing the feedback, is anticipated to present recommendations to the college’s board of visitors and governors at their meeting in February.
The St. John’s College report highlighted the men for whom buildings on the college’s Annapolis campus are named and their association with the institution of slavery.
“As the third-oldest college in the country, we knew that there would be parts of our history we wouldn’t—couldn’t—be proud of and that do not represent the college’s mission to provide an education for all,” says St. John’s College President Nora Demleitner, in a news release. “This report gives us the opportunity to face our past head-on,” she says, and adding that the school will continue its focus as a place of belonging for students of all backgrounds.
Originally founded in 1696 as King William’s School, the university has played a large role in the history of Maryland, where slavery was rampant during the school’s early years. In 1783, one year before the school was chartered as St. John’s College, 46% of white households in Annapolis owned slaves.
Five buildings on the St. John’s College campus documented in the report were built before Maryland abolished slavery in 1864. The architects and builders responsible for these buildings—McDowell Hall, Humphreys Hall, Chase-Stone House, Pinkney Hall and the Paca-Carroll House—are known to have used construction crews that included enslaved Black Americans.
The report also finds that the men who supported St. John’s College during its establishment and the decades after directly or indirectly benefited from slavery.
“My hope is that this report, along with future work of the task force, will encourage conversation about difficult topics — the hallmark of a St. John’s education,” says Adrian Trevisan, a board member and task force chair.
