McGuffey Hall

McGuffey Hall was named for William H. McGuffey, a former board of trustees member, professor of languages, and local Presbyterian preacher. Additionally, McGuffey is nationally recognized through his creation of the McGuffey reader set. The readers were a set of picture books geared towards white rural schoolchildren, with the few images of African-Americans portraying them in working-class roles and “jumping for joy” because of their new freedom. The readers would go on to sell over 120 million copies, reaching a large audience and shaping racial stereotypes. McGuffey is also a confirmed slaveholder, found in the 1850 U.S Federal Census Slave Schedules, where 3 enslaved people were listed in his Charlottesville, Virginia, household. This included a 30-year-old man, a 28-year-old woman, and a 44-year-old woman. The first known person he enslaved was William Gibbons, a recognized community leader who later attended Howard University. McGuffey Hall was named in 1916, and a statue of his likeness outside the building was constructed in 1941. There is no mention of McGuffey’s participation in slavery at the hall or statue.

Correspondence of Thomas Ebenezer Thomas: Mainly relating to the anti-slavery conflict in Ohio, especially in the Presbyterian Church, 1909

This document is from Thomas E. Thomas’ Anti-Slavery Correspondence. The document entry refers to the former Board of Trustees member William H. McGuffey. The note states, “I hold no letter of Dr. McGuffey’s on the subject of slavery, and doubt if he ever wrote one.” However, evidence from the 1850 U.S Federal Census Slave Schedules reveals that McGuffey held 3 enslaved people in his household. This document is significant because it reveals the truth about McGuffey, who has received national recognition and multiple namesakes at Miami University: a building and a museum. However, his participation in slavery has yet to be addressed on campus.

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