Enslavers, the Enslaved, and Free African Americans

Enslavers and the Making of Miami
 

This exhibit explores the actions and significance of various figures in Miami’s history relevant to the Antebellum period and “Old Miami” years. In the early and middle 1800s, both Miami University and Western Female Seminary had strong connections to enslavers, whether as students, faculty, church members, or monetary benefactors whose financial contributions allowed the institutions to cement themselves in Oxford. Using census and financial records, family histories, and university ledgers, this exhibit names and holds accountable the true connection of early participants of both colleges to slavery, while remembering and centering the known Black individuals as much as possible.