Building Universities with Enslaved Labor
Behind the stately facades of America’s oldest universities lies a difficult truth: many campuses were literally built by the hands of enslaved people. At the University of Virginia, for example, enslaved laborers quarried stone, made bricks, and constructed buildings under harsh conditions. Their work didn’t end with construction—enslaved people also maintained the grounds and served faculty and students. This foundational labor was essential to the operation and growth of these institutions, though it often went unrecognized for generations. The University of Virginia’s official report offers a detailed account of this legacy.
