Understanding the Financial Record of Slavery at the University of Alabama
From the construction of the initial buildings to the destruction of the campus on April 4, 1865, slavery played a significant role at the University of Alabama.. Enslaved men, women, and even children served on construction crews for all university buildings, maintained the grounds and facilities, cooked, laundered, performed janitorial duties, toted water one bucket at time to all dormitories and campus buildings, and did other assorted tasks.
According to one university historical chronicler, Ben was the first enslaved person purchased by trustees. He worked under the direction of the architect, did landscaping, and maintained fencing. While selling Ben in 1831, the University would own several more slaves over the next three decades, including Moses, Jack, and Isaac. Trustees even authorized a professor to spend up to $7,000 on the purchase of enslaved laborers from Virginia on the eve of the Civil War. The majority of enslaved persons were hired out directly from local citizens, university personnel, trustees, and alumni.
Viewed as property either owned or leased by the university, the surviving archival record underscores the foundational role of the institution of slavery and enslaved individuals had during the first decades of the schools existence.
As a result of the wartime destruction of the campus, the archival record is incomplete. Yet, it is quite rich. The surviving financial records contained in RG 1 – Early Administrative Records offer a window onto the centrality of slavery at the University of Alabama. .
For modern students, the values contained on individual financial receipts seem insignificant. When inflation is taken into consideration, however, the amounts are staggering. The simple graphs below were generated by using the slave receipts, invoices, and other financial documents contained in four folders at W.S. Hoole Special Collections (accessible via ACUMEN). For 1864, the total expenditures are unconverted CSA dollars.
According to one university historical chronicler, Ben was the first enslaved person purchased by trustees. He worked under the direction of the architect, did landscaping, and maintained fencing. While selling Ben in 1831, the University would own several more slaves over the next three decades, including Moses, Jack, and Isaac. Trustees even authorized a professor to spend up to $7,000 on the purchase of enslaved laborers from Virginia on the eve of the Civil War. The majority of enslaved persons were hired out directly from local citizens, university personnel, trustees, and alumni.
Viewed as property either owned or leased by the university, the surviving archival record underscores the foundational role of the institution of slavery and enslaved individuals had during the first decades of the schools existence.
As a result of the wartime destruction of the campus, the archival record is incomplete. Yet, it is quite rich. The surviving financial records contained in RG 1 – Early Administrative Records offer a window onto the centrality of slavery at the University of Alabama. .
For modern students, the values contained on individual financial receipts seem insignificant. When inflation is taken into consideration, however, the amounts are staggering. The simple graphs below were generated by using the slave receipts, invoices, and other financial documents contained in four folders at W.S. Hoole Special Collections (accessible via ACUMEN). For 1864, the total expenditures are unconverted CSA dollars.
Figure 1. Annual Expenditures of RG 1 (Folders 90A-D), Source: University of Alabama Early Administrative Records, RG.001, University Archives, University Libraries Division of Special Collections, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL. Digitized Record Group 1, Folders 90A-D.
Figure 2. Annual Expenditures of RG 1 (Folders 90A-D) in 2016 USD values. Source of 2016 values derived from https://www.officialdata.org for University of Alabama Early Administrative Records, RG.001, University Archives, University Libraries Division of Special Collections, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL. Digitized Record Group 1, Folders 90A-D.
Figure 3. Comparative Annual Expenditures of RG 1 (Folders 90A-D). Source of 2016 values derived from https://www.officialdata.org for University of Alabama Early Administrative Records, RG.001, University Archives, University Libraries Division of Special Collections, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL. Digitized Record Group 1, Folders 90A-D.
