Princeton University faces calls to remove statue of John Witherspoon

The petition, which was signed by 285 members of the Princeton community, calls for the statue to be replaced with a plaque that details both the positive and negative aspects of Witherspoon's legacy.

Princeton University faces calls to remove statue of John Witherspoon
Joe Shlabotnik/Flickr/Creative Commons
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Princeton University is facing calls to remove a statue of John Witherspoon from its campus, according to Princeton Alumni Weekly. John Witherspoon was a former president and influential figure in the American Revolution who owned slaves.

The statue, which has stood outside East Pyne Hall since 2001, has been the subject of a petition created by five members of the university's philosophy department, who argue that it honors someone who actively participated in the enslavement of human beings.

The petition, which was signed by 285 members of the Princeton community, calls for the statue to be replaced with a plaque that details both the positive and negative aspects of Witherspoon's legacy.

The statue depicts Witherspoon, who emigrated from Scotland and served as Princeton's sixth president from 1768 to 1794, as the only clergyman and college president to sign the Declaration of Independence.

According to research by the Princeton & Slavery Project, Witherspoon had a "complex relationship to slavery."

While he tutored three free Black students during his time at Princeton, he also purchased two enslaved people to work on his country estate and voted against abolishing slavery in New Jersey.

The university's Committee on Naming is currently reviewing the proposal and has held listening sessions with alumni, faculty, staff, and students to gather input.

The committee's review will be informed by research and scholarly expertise, and the Princeton Board of Trustees will have the final say on any changes to the statue's placement or presentation.

In April 2021, the trustees adopted "Principles to Govern Renaming and Changes to Campus Iconography" to guide decisions about renaming and changing campus iconography, including determining whether the namesake was "significantly out of step with the standards" of their time and if the space in question plays "a substantial role in forming community at the University."

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