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Legacies of American Slavery

Legacies of American Slavery

an initiative of the Council of Independent Colleges

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  • About UsLearn more about the Council of Independent Colleges and the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition at Yale University.
    • A Timeline of the Legacies of American Slavery Initiative
    • Council of Independent Colleges (CIC)The Council of Independent Colleges is the nation’s leading association of smaller private colleges and universities.
    • Gilder Lehrman Center (GLC)The Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition at the MacMillan Center (Yale University) is dedicated to the investigation and dissemination of knowledge concerning slavery and its legacies across all borders and all time, from the distant past through the present day.
    • Meet the Project Team
    • Funders
  • Legacies and ThemesDefining the “legacies” of slavery.
    • What Is a Legacy (Now)? Afterlives and the Turbulent PresentA reflection on the Legacies of American Slavery initiative by David Blight, looking back from 2025.
    • What Is a Legacy?An introductory essay by David Blight (2020).
    • Legacy ThemesThis project is organized around nine “legacy themes” that help define the afterlives of slavery.
  • Network MembersSeven private colleges and universities serve as the backbone of a growing national network of higher education institutions and community partners.
    • Regional Collaboration PartnersSeven institutions serve as coordinating hubs for the national network.
    • Institutional AffiliatesTwelve additional colleges and universities support regional activities as part of the Legacies network.
  • ResourcesWhat are CIC institutions doing to reckon with the legacy of slavery? Find resources and examples here.
    • Resource DatabaseA publicly available, searchable, and sortable database of existing resources at independent colleges and universities related to the legacies of slavery.
    • Virtual Symposium (2022)CIC and the Gilder Lehrman Center hosted a virtual symposium on the Legacies of American Slavery in April 2022.
    • Virtual Sessions: Independent Colleges and the Legacies of Slavery (September 19 and 21, 2024)
  • Archived ProgramsClick on the menu items below to learn more about previous programs, including a national conference in 2024.
    • Conference: Independent Colleges and the Legacies of Slavery
    • Summer 2023 Programs for Faculty and Staff from CIC Colleges (and Community Partners!)
    • Regional Conference Schedule, Fall 2022

Tag: Contested Citizenship

The constitutional legacy of slavery—reflected in the jurisprudence initiated by the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments—and broader conflicts about rights (especially voting rights), liberties, and civic responsibilities based on race.

Links and Resources

Legacies links for April 22, 2024: Texas, Maryland, Reparations, and Jefferson Davis

22 Apr 202422 Apr 2024
As always, our editorial team encourages you to pass this post along to friends, students, colleagues, etc.; as always, a link here does not necessarily mean agreement or endorsement by…
Links and Resources

Legacies links for April 15, 2024: Poetry, Property Taxes, and Political Violence

15 Apr 202415 Apr 2024
As always, our editorial team encourages you to pass this post along to friends, students, colleagues, etc.; as always, a link here does not necessarily mean agreement or endorsement by…
Links and Resources

Legacies links for April 1, 2024: History in the Archives (and the Genes), a Broken Link in Baltimore, and Beyoncé

1 Apr 20241 Apr 2024
It may be April Fool's Day, but none of the following links are jokes (despite the rich tradition of tricksters in the African diaspora)! As always, our editorial team encourages…
Links and Resources

Legacies links for March 11, 2024: Place and Race Matter

11 Mar 202411 Mar 2024
As always, our editorial team encourages you to pass this post along to friends, students, colleagues, etc.; as always, a link here does not necessarily mean agreement or endorsement by…
Reading List

Reading List: American Education and the Legacies of American Slavery

7 Mar 20248 Mar 2024
An anti-literacy statute enacted in South Carolina in 1740, prohibiting education for enslaved Africans, is evidence that racial discrimination in American education is older than the nation itself. White slaveholders…
Links and Resources

Legacies links for March 4, 2024: Economic Justice, Reparations, Museums

4 Mar 20244 Mar 2024
As always, our editorial team encourages you to pass this post along to friends, students, colleagues, etc.; as always, a link here does not necessarily mean agreement or endorsement by…
Links and Resources…

Legacies links for February 26, 2024: The Uses of Black History

26 Feb 202426 Feb 2024
Black History Month is almost over but we still have so much to share! As always, we encourage you to pass this post along to friends, students, colleagues, etc.; as…
Links and Resources

Legacies links for February 5, 2024: Black History Month is Here Again

5 Feb 2024
Happy Black History Month! We usually focus here on the legacies of American slavery, many of which are violent and discouraging. But we also want people to reflect on the…
Uncategorized

Legacies links for January 29, 2024: Urban planning, reparations, and the shadow over Haiti

29 Jan 202429 Jan 2024
As always, we encourage you to share this post, though a link here does not imply full agreement or endorsement by the Council of Independent Colleges. Frederick Douglass (right) sits…
Links and Resources

Legacies links for January 22, 2024: Black Archives, Civil War Debates, and Civil Rights before “Brown”

22 Jan 202422 Jan 2024
As always, we encourage you to share this post, though a link here does not imply full agreement or endorsement by the Council of Independent Colleges. Loyola University Maryland (Baltimore,…

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Commemoration and Memory Contested Citizenship Critical Race Theory Cultural Creativity Economic Disparities Environmental Justice Halloween Hispanic Heritage Month Institutional Histories John Brown Mass Incarceration Museums Phillis Wheatley Poetry Public History Race Race, Health, and Medicine Race, Place, and Migration Racial Violence and Resistance Reading Lists Reflections Religion and Slavery Reparations Slavery tourism Teaching about Slavery Teaching slavery


© Council of Independent Colleges except where otherwise indicated.

Council of Independent Colleges

1 Dupont Circle NW
Suite 320
Washington, DC 20036
legaciesproject@cic.edu #CICLegacies
202-466-7230

Organized in collaboration with

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David W. Blight, Director

With generous support from


and additional support from

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed on this site do not necessarily represent those of the NEH.

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