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black and white photo of a cabin formerly located on campus properly that probably served as a dwelling for enslaved laborers

By Liann Herder, Diverse: Issues In Higher Education

The University of Maryland's (UMD) The 1856 Project has released its first report covering the history of their institution and its intersection with slavery, Reconstructing the Truth. Its goal, stated in the report, is to become a “blue print for a richer understanding of generations of racialized trauma…


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the entrance to McKeldin Library on UMD's College Park campus

By John-John Williams IV, The Baltimore Banner

A new report shows that the slave economy was deeply entrenched in the origins of the University of Maryland, College Park, including enslaved people living and working on land that forms a large section of the current campus...…


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By Jimmy Alexander, WTOP News

A new report examining the University of Maryland’s historical ties to slavery has connected multiple enslavers to the school’s founding. The first research report from the “1856 Project” shows the school’s link to slavery started with the state’s founder...…


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cover page for first research report, titled, "Reconstructing the Truth;" imagery includes a black and white photo of a cabin in front of a green background depicting a map of the land in and around PG county

By Lilly Price, The Baltimore Sun

The University of Maryland, College Park this month published a research report on the institution’s connections to slavery, detailing how founder Charles B. Calvert was a descendant of enslavers and owned at least 55 slaves who worked on his Riverside plantation, land that makes up part of UMD’s campus...…


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a cover of the 1856 Project Research Report, featuring a black and white cabin on a green background beneath the words "Reconstructing the Truth"; a photo of Lae'l Hughes-Watkins, co-chair of the 1856 Project

By Razak Diallo, The Black Explosion

The 1856 Project held its first annual research update on Feb. 7. The first part of the report, “Reconstructing the Truth,” details the University of Maryland’s connection to slavery and local African American communities...…


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black and white photo of a cabin formerly located on campus properly that probably served as a dwelling for enslaved laborers

By Jackson Hawkins, Stories Beneath the Shell

On Feb. 7, the 1856 Project conducted their first annual research update findings in a report presentation that took place in the special events room in McKeldin Library...Read More


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worm's eye view of the Frederick Douglass statue in front of Hornbake Library on UMD's College Park campus

By Sumaya Abdel-Motagaly, The Diamondback

The University of Maryland used to serve as a shelter for runaway slaves and profited from the finances of slave owners, according to the findings of the 1856 Project presented at its first annual research update on Wednesday...Read More


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black and white photo of a cabin formerly located on campus properly that probably served as a dwelling for enslaved laborers

By Maryland Today Staff, Maryland Today

A new report from The 1856 Project at the University of Maryland explores the story of an enslaved family that could have lived where the Xfinity Center stands today, as well as the Rossborough Inn’s potential ties to the Underground Railroad...…


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Black man sat atop a horse-drawn cart, dusting crops
The 1856 Project welcomes applicants for an internship for the Fall 2023 academic term.

As part of The 1856 Project, interns will have the opportunity to do the following:

  • Engage in primary research meant to uncover data relevant to enslaved individuals and communities tied to the history of the university and its intersections with…

Categories: Project News


2022 SRI scholars and faculty mentor pose in front of historical map of Riversdale

The 1856 Project is once again collaborating with the BSOS Summer Research Initiative (SRI) and the Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) hosted by College of Arts and Humanities to seek rising juniors and seniors to participate in an 8-week (…


Categories: Project News


black and white photograph of Charlie Dory and kitchen staff, Maryland Agricultural College, c. 1912; (left to right: Bill Dory; Ferdinand Hughes; Spencer Dory; Charlie Dory)

By Karen Shih, Maryland Today

At the start of Black History Month, organizers of a University of Maryland initiative probing the institution’s historic intersections with slavery are inviting community members to learn about their research and progress and join their work.

Tomorrow, The 1856…


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close up of Frederick Douglass statue in front of Hornbake Library on the UMCP campus

By Hannah Ziegler, The Diamondback

Members of the University of Maryland community got a first glimpse Monday into the work of this university’s 1856 Project — an initiative that looks to investigate the Black experience at this university and analyze institutional ties to slavery...


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Frederick Douglass statue in front of Hornbake Library on the UMCP campus

By Liam Farrell, Maryland Today

February 21st, 2022

From investigating historic connections to the slave economy to examining the experiences of current Black students, the University of Maryland’s ambitious 1856 Project aims to illuminate the past and influence the future of a diverse institution...


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Plummer family

By Casey Hughes and Sara Ludewig, Terrapin Tales

February 25th, 2021

In the coming months the 1856 Project, the University of Maryland’s contribution to the Universities Studying Slavery, will be exploring the role that enslaved individuals played in the founding and early history of our institution...


Categories: Project News


Frederick Douglass statue in front of Hornbake Library on the UMCP campus

By Anaya Truss-Williams, The Diamondback

Last week, before visiting a section of an orientation course meant to introduce new students to the University of Maryland, university archivist Lae’l Hughes-Watkins reviewed the slides that had been shown to educate the class about the school’s history.

She noticed a few key…


Categories: 1856 in the News


drawing of the Maryland Agricultural College with the text The 1856 Project

As the University of Maryland becomes a member of Universities Studying Slavery in July 2020, the country is witnessing another watershed moment in the aftermath of the ongoing murders of Black people...

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