History of Brown University
Brown University's origin dates to 1761, when three residents of Newport, Rhode Island, drafted a petition to the colony's General Assembly:[8]That your Petitioners propose to open a literary institution or School for instructing young Gentlemen in the Languages, Mathematics, Geography & History, & such other branches of Knowledge as shall be desired.
On January 20, Chauncey Whittelsey, pastor of the First Church of New Haven, answered a letter from Stiles:[12] The week before last I sent you the Copy of Yale College Charter ... Should you make any Progress in the Affair of a Colledge, I should be glad to hear of it; I heartily wish you Success therein.
Isaac Backus, a historian of the New England Baptists and an inaugural Trustee of Brown, wrote of the October 1762 resolution taken at Philadelphia:[12]The Philadelphia Association obtained such an acquaintance with our affairs, as to bring them to an apprehension that it was practicable and expedient to erect a college in the Colony of Rhode-Island, under the chief direction of the Baptists; ... Mr. James Manning, who took his first degree in New-Jersey college in September, 1762, was esteemed a suitable leader in this important work.James Manning arrived at Newport in July 1763, There, he organized a meeting with 15 Baptist men in the home of Deputy Governor John Gardner (8 Washington Square) to discuss and publicly present his plans to organize a college.
Stiles's first draft was read to the General Assembly in August 1763 and rejected by Baptist members who worried that their denomination would be underrepresented in the College Board of Fellows.
The college's mission, as stated in the charter, was to prepare students "for discharging the Offices of Life with usefulness & reputation" by providing instruction "in the Vernacular and Learned Languages, and in the liberal Arts and Sciences.
Other colleges had curricular strictures against opposing doctrines, while Brown's Charter asserted, "Sectarian differences of opinions, shall not make any Part of the Public and Classical Instruction."
Among the requirements for the College's location were a place of "clear and wholesome air... where the morals of the inhabitants [were] not corrupted ... civil and religious liberty [was] encouraged ... there [were] assemblies of the different denominations" and labor and building materials were readily available.
East Greenwich was proposed first but soon eclipsed by Providence, which was desired for its central location, cost of living, schoolhouses, and public library.
Since wealthy Newport could likely raise more money to support the College than Providence, James Manning suggested in an anonymous letter that the Brown family contribute to the cost of erecting a building.
Under the tenure of President Ruth Simmons, the University in 2003 established a steering committee to investigate these ties and recommend a strategy to address them.
At the College's first commencement in 1769, President Manning and the candidates for graduation dressed in clothes manufactured in America in protest of British trade laws.
[2][28] The class of 1775 organized a similar protest six years later, delivering a petition to the College's Corporation communicating that they were "deeply affected with the Distresses of our oppressed Country, which now most unjustly feels the baneful Effects of arbitrary power.
At the time of his signature of the Declaration of Independence, Stephen Hopkins served as both the Chief Justice of Rhode Island and Brown's Chancellor.
[30] In addition to Stephen Hopkins, a number of other founders of the College played significant roles in the American revolutionary effort and subsequent establishment of the United States.
Among these were John Brown who led the Gaspee Affair, Chief Justice Joshua Babcock who served as a major general in the state militia, and William Ellery who acted as a signatory to the Declaration of Independence.
Another founder, John Gano, served as a chaplain during the war and allegedly baptized General and future President George Washington.
In 1783, the Comte de Rochambeau and James Mitchell Varnum joined George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and several other distinguished officers as founding members of the Society of the Cincinnati.
In 1786, the Rhode Island General Assembly unanimously elected College President James Manning to serve as its delegate in the 7th Congress of the Confederation.
[33] In A History of the Baptists, President Manning is reported to have played an inspirational role in persuading the Massachusetts ratifying convention to adopt the United States Constitution.
In March 1827, the Corporation of Brown University resolved that, in order to receive a salary, all faculty would be required to reside on the school's campus.
"[44] The adoption of the New Curriculum in 1969, marking a major change in University's institutional history, was a significant step towards realizing President Wayland's vision.
The group was inspired by student-initiated experimental schools, especially San Francisco State College, and sought ways to improve education for students at Brown.
"[46] The paper made a number of suggestions for improving education at Brown, including a new kind of interdisciplinary freshman course that would introduce new modes of inquiry and bring faculty from different fields together.
Since the two campuses are effectively adjacent to each other, the two institutions often partner to provide both student bodies with services (such as the local Brown/RISD after-hours and downtown transportation shuttles).
In January 2007, entrepreneur Warren Alpert donated $100 million to Brown Medical School, tying Sidney Frank for the largest single monetary contribution ever made to the University.
Members of the committee also sponsored more than thirty public programs, including lectures, panel discussions, forums, film screenings, and two international conferences exploring the experience of other societies and institutions which have "grappled with legacies of historical injustice".
More than a hundred speakers were invited to speak at these events, including historian John Hope Franklin and survivor of modern slavery Beatrice Fernando.
The report began by noting the work conducted by the members of the committee, then detailing the university's connection to slavery and the slave trade, placing such historical developments into a wider context, analyzing the debate in the U.S. over reparations for slavery, and ended the report by noting that Simmons "did not ask the steering committee to try to resolve the debate, and [made it clear] that the committee would not determine whether or how Brown might pay monetary reparations" but instead informed them that their goal was to provide "factual information and critical perspectives” to enable Brown alumni (and the U.S. at large) to "discuss the historical, legal, political, and moral dimensions of the controversy [over slavery] in reasoned and intellectually rigorous ways".
These include[d]: capturing the full extent of the history and the present-day implications of that history; addressing the lingering effects of slavery that manifest themselves in disparate social and economic conditions; reflecting the pervasiveness of the trade and its enduring impact; engaging ongoing debate and deliberation about human atrocities; helping people understand where they "fit" in this legacy; opening people's minds to the importance of confronting difficult questions; portraying this history as an American issue, challenge, and opportunity; addressing the ubiquitous nature of such trauma and the need to learn how to recover from such events; connecting to newer groups of immigrants coming into the country; [and] capturing individual stories connected to the legacy of slavery.
[65] The memorial, designed by contemporary sculptor, Martin Puryear, resembles a massive ball and chain, half submerged in the ground.
