Financial Foundations: Endowments from Slave Economies
The wealth that built many of America’s most prestigious universities was deeply tied to slave economies. Early endowments and donations often came from wealthy individuals whose fortunes were made through plantations, slave trading, or industries reliant on enslaved labor. Research at Harvard University has revealed how its early financial stability and growth were influenced by gifts and investments connected to slavery. By tracing these monetary origins, we see how the economic benefits of slavery were woven into the very fabric of higher education. Read Harvard’s research on this history.
