Enslaved African Americans at the University of Virginia

The University of Virginia utilized the labor of enslaved African Americans from the earliest days of its construction in 1817 until the end of the American Civil War. Most of the University’s first enslaved laborers were rented from local slave-owners and worked alongside whites and free blacks in all the tasks associated with constructing the Academical Village. When the first students arrived in March 1825, enslaved African Americans cooked and cleaned in the pavilions, hotels, and the Rotunda, and maintained classrooms, laboratories, and the library. This self-guided tour is an introduction to some of the significant people, places, and events that shaped the early history of African Americans at the University of Virginia.

For further information see http://slavery.virginia.edu