Class 6, Yale, the Early Republic, and the 1831 Black College, guest lecture by Michael Morand

Michael Morand delivers a compelling and meticulously researched lecture on Yale’s historical entanglement with slavery, focusing on the thwarted 1831 Black college. The lecture is a model of public history, combining rigorous archival evidence with a clear moral argument. Morand’s credibility is established through his role as Director of Community Engagement at the Beinecke Library and his involvement in the Yale and Slavery Research Project. He draws on a range of primary sources, including newspaper accounts, town meeting records, and institutional documents, and he situates the 1831 episode within a broader narrative of Yale’s responses to its slaveholding past, from the 2001 graduate student report to the renaming of Calhoun College. The argument is well-structured: he moves from the specific historical event to its long-term suppression and eventual recovery, weaving in contemporary parallels and personal reflections. The lecture is not merely an academic exercise; it is a call to action for institutions to confront their histories honestly. Morand’s use of rhetorical devices, such as the repeated phrase ‘history coming to find us,’ effectively underscores the inevitability of historical reckoning. While the lecture is primarily narrative, it is underpinned by a solid evidentiary base, and Morand is careful to distinguish between established facts and interpretations. The inclusion of community memory as a legitimate archive is a valuable methodological point. The lecture’s main strength is its integration of institutional history with broader themes of power, race, and memory. If there is a limitation, it is that the lecture assumes some prior knowledge of the Yale and Slavery project, but this does not detract from its overall impact. The title accurately reflects the content, and the lecture delivers on its promise to examine the 1831 Black college and its significance. Overall, this is an exemplary piece of public scholarship that demonstrates how universities can and should engage with their own difficult histories.

The title accurately reflects the content: a guest lecture on Yale's history in the Early Republic, focusing on the proposed 1831 Black college.

9/10

Lecture by a recognized historian and director at Yale, drawing on archival research and published scholarship. The speaker provides specific dates, names, and documents, and references a published book and exhibition. The content is well-sourced and consistent with established historical knowledge.

Markers derived by PSI from the transcript: the creator did not define chapters.

• 00:00Introduction by Professor David Blight, welcoming Michael Morand.
• 02:00Morand begins his lecture, emphasizing the importance of honest history and community memory.
• 05:00Discussion of Yale's 2001 tercentennial and the graduate student report on Yale's slave ties.
• 10:00Morand details the 1831 proposal for a Black college in New Haven and the opposition it faced.
• 15:00Examination of the town meeting that defeated the Black college proposal.
• 20:00Morand discusses the legacy of the 1831 defeat and its suppression in historical memory.
• 25:00Connections to the 2001 report and Yale's response, including the conference and obfuscation.
• 30:00The role of Ruth Simmons and Brown University in leading the way on institutional history.
• 35:00The impact of the Charleston church shooting and the renaming of Calhoun College.
• 40:00Morand concludes with a call for continued honest history and honors those who have contributed.

• Can It Happen Here Again? Yale, Slavery, and Legacies: 2024 DeVane Lecture Series — Playlist of the lecture series in which this lecture is part.

• Yale and Slavery Research Project — Official project documenting Yale's historical ties to slavery.
• Shining Light on Truth: New Haven, Yale and Slavery — Exhibition at the New Haven Museum that the lecture references.