Harvard Law students have started a campaign to drop the historic seal of Harvard because it is tied to an 18th-century slaveholder. The students organization, Royall Must Fall, have held campus demonstrations demanding the removal of the seal. The three sheaves of wheat on the seal come from the Royall family crest (which raises the compromise possibility of just replacing that portion of the seal attributed to the Royall family). Third-year law student Alexander Clayborne insists that the effort is part of “[o]ur larger goals include decolonization of the law school in general and decolonization of the law school curriculum.”
Isaac Royall Jr. was a wealthy merchant who donated his estate to create the first law professorship at Harvard University. He was not simply a slave holder but made much of his wealth through the slave trade and owned dozens of slaves at its Massachusetts house. His home is now a museum. After his father’s death and his taking over the “Ten Hills Farm” estate, Royall acquired a large number of slaves. Dan Coquillette, a visiting professor at Harvard’s law school, has accused Royall of brutality, including burning one salve at the stake. While Royall was known to support the Patriots in the revolution, his ties to royalists led to his inclusion on the list of those under the Massachusetts Banishment Act of 1778. He fled to Nova Scotia. He would ultimately die in England of smallpox in 1781. In his will of 1779, Royall left land to Harvard College to establish the first professorship in law at the school.
Notably, Coquillette does not agree that the seal should be removed because he doesn’t “like sanitizing history . . . To obscure the history of the school obscures how far we’ve come.”
However, the students insist it is time for the seal to go. Third-year law student Alexander Clayborne insists that “Our larger goals include decolonization of the law school in general and decolonization of the law school curriculum.”
I do not subscribe to the efforts strip portraits of Framers or others who were slaveholders. Such ownership is a dark and sad part of our history. It is something to be taught with the positive elements of history for a better understanding of the life and context of our foundation as a nation. While it should not be erased, it should not be ignored. These students are doing the school a service in reminding everyone of this past and the crimes committed against African-Americans. I simply disagree with the effort to strip the historical reference of the seal.
In the meantime, Harvard Law School is facing what the dean has labeled a “hate crime.” Dean Martha Minow said that portraits for black faculty were “defaced” by the placement of black tape over their faces. Professor Ronald S. Sullivan Jr. posted the water below to say “This is my portrait at Harvard Law School” showing a wide piece of gaffer’s tape placed diagonally across his face.
This was replaced however by a positive action from the student body
Harvard police are investigating the “hate crime.” There is no evidence of who was the culprit or why these acts of defacing occurred.
Recently, protesters seeking to force Harvard to drop its seal put black tape over the seal at various spots in the law school. It is unclear if the two acts were related or whether the recent taping of the portraits was in response to the earlier taping of the seals.
Currently, the assumption is that this was an act by someone wishing to deface the pictures of black professors as a racist act. It is possible that the defacing could have been viewed by some as a statement of a different kind: part of earlier protests against racism at the university. Would it still be a hate crime if the portraits were defaced by someone protesting racism? What if the intent was to make it appear an act of racism? Clearly the intent is a critical element in the definition.
The assumption continues that this is a manifestation of the racism that students insisted pervades Harvard University. I do not share that view of Harvard University, but protests have increased after the portrait defacement.
First-year law student Michele Hall wrote “This morning at Harvard Law School we woke up to a hate crime.” Rena Karefa-Johnson, head of Harvard Law’s Students for Inclusion said that the incident reveals that the culture of exclusion and racism has been alive and well at Harvard.
Those WHO have created, not those THAT created.
Oh, I like the comment of BamBam thank you mam, above.
While they are at it they should condemn Woodrow Wilson.
Plus one on not removing anything of historical significance at Harvard, let alone the Framers’ propriety for the reasons given in the blogpost. This blog is enough to know how disputed history can be even when it is relatively clear factually, It’d be a mistake to ever whitewash our dark past or we’ll surely repeat it.
Let’s just follow the bouncing ball, shall we?
If Harvard Law School did, in fact, receive money derived from Royall’s estate, where said estate derived a portion of its fortune from the ownership of slaves, then wouldn’t it logically follow that Harvard Law School, itself, as an institution, is tainted? An abomination? A putrid cesspool, whose foundation rests upon the inhumanity that was slavery? For shame, Clayborne–have you no dignity, no pride? No sense of what is good and just? How can you reconcile the fact that you attend this disgraceful university–a beneficiary of dirty and tainted gifted funds? I say that you should drop out in protest, now! Show some backbone. Renounce that despicable and disgraceful Harvard diploma. I guess that logic has no place at Harvard Law School. It’s not the seal that’s at issue–it’s the whole institution, whose foundation is based upon blood money. Forget about the SEAL, Clayborne. The seal is irrelevant. The bigger issue is that tainted MONEY, derived from the possession of slaves, went into the creation and support of this institution. That’s the real issue; however, don’t expect these mental midgets to ever address that as they rail against those that have created the place in which they proudly attend. Taken to its logical conclusion, why stop at the seal? Dissolve the whole school, while you’re at it. Clayborne needs to be asked a few simple questions. Is he now, or was he ever, himself, the recipient of scholarship money? Does he know exactly how that money, which he gladly used for his benefit, was obtained? Did wealthy donors, who footed the bill for his education over the years, receive a proper vetting, in that it was established that those funds were not acquired through corrupt business dealings or illegal activities? We all know the answer to that.
If Harvard were really racist, these students wouldn’t be there! I am very tired of pampered pouches of all races who have nothing better to do but try to strip every bit of history from our country and institutions. History is filled with successes and failure of all colors. We need to learn from it and move onl. You are at Harvard to learn. If that doesn’t suit, you move on.
If Harvard caves on this we’ll know what’s up and it isn’t racism.
Someone might want to remind these students about the efforts of tyrannical regimes to “erase” history. This is not only foolish, but it demonstrates a complete lack of creativity. If they really wanted to change the seal, They could have at least followed the lead of Prof. Turley’s clients, the House Republicans, by coming up with a plausible pretext for changing the seal, just as House Republicans came up with a plausible pretext (“Benghazi”) for dragging Hillary Clinton through the mud in an effort to lower her ratings with the public.
What kind of pretext? Gosh, I don’t know. But they could have at least proposed replacing the sheaves of wheat with dollar signs.
Add to list. The American Medical Association seal needs to be removed to. Stir the pot.
In modern day, Ea and his father Anu are represented within the seal of the American Medical Association(AMA) as two snakes coiling up a rod.
The AMA’s current seal features a snake with no fangs. Brotherhood teachings included physical healing through spiritual means.
The Brotherhood of the Serpent/Snake has been the worlds most effect tool for keeping the human race spiritually ignorant.
Ea wound up giving his enemies a powerful tool of spiritual repression. EArth became a place where spiritual beings can be trapped, enslaved, and made to suffer.
The snakes represent Satan the devil.
Hmm … I read this post several times and still didn’t see what the link between the seal and Royall was. Had to use the Internet to discover that the three sheaves of wheat on the seal come from the Royall family crest. As John has already said, a clarification would have been useful.
Meh. Children demonstrating their inability to learn and grow. Doesn’t Melissa HP Have a slave picture on her wall to remind her of ‘hard work’? Why don’t the kids just look at it as a reminder of ‘hard work’? Oh, because they ain’t gots no brains, sirs. I didn’t realize humans could evolve to be naturally lobotomizing. Frontiers in science! Lets send these kids to the lab and see what makes them tick, huh?
Jokes going too far…
About the tape- seems more like a ‘dislike’ crime than a ‘hate’ crime. Not even a permanent defacement. Easily remedied. 20 bucks says a ‘victim’ group false flagged the tape operation for publicity. I hope we get updates on this story as more information becomes available!
IF it is indeed a malicious act – well pray that these are the criminals we get! SO creative! “Ya know how we’ll get those jigchompers, Richy? We’ll hit em’ so hard, they’re granpappies will feel the burn retroactively through time!” “Whut we gonna do, Joey?” “We gonna put a big thick piece of BLACK gaffer tape on every black faculty member’s face. OH YEA! WHITE POWER!”
I vote that they remove all African Studies and Feminist Studies courses. You might see some actual studying go on.
One of the first things you learn as a parent is to NOT give in to the temper tantrums that your children will inevitably throw. Screaming, crying, holding their breath, throwing themselves to the ground in the grocery store when they can’t get the candy or get their way.
You do NOT give in, because this will only ensure more and larger temper tantrums in the future.
A parent must always remember that THEY are the ones in charge, not the children. You decide when the child gets to have treats and how they should act. Your job as a parent is to turn these little un-civilized critters into pleasant, respectful and happy people and launch them into society.
Unfortunately, these students have never been disciplined in their lives (someone should have spanked their little butts long ago). These the college administrators must not have learned how to be parents or how to be in control.
They have created monsters and unfortunately, WE have to deal with the repercussions.
Judging historical figures by today’s standards whether it concerns political, medical or virtually any other subject shows a complete lack of logic or intelligent thought. Further all of the attempts to “sanitize” everything on college campuses seems to me to fly in the face of discourse and free speech. Honest discussions by those with divergent views oftentimes produces solid outcomes where avoiding certain topics in the pursuit of political correctness damns us to the ostrich complex. The good Lord only knows we have real issues to discuss. Be it gender inequality in compensation, how to solve the conundrum in the quality of education in the inner cities even though we spend more money per student there, rural vs. metro services availability, the current ISIS threat and on and on. No shortage here. But we can only expect real progress once we agree to take off the gloves, remove the varnish and in the words of a great philosopher – Take life on life’s terms.
Chinggis say Harvard Law not need decolonostomy. Only place seal should be changed is at Sea World.
JT is a streak hitter. He goes on streaks hitting cops, and other topics. The past couple weeks he is crushing the ball, hitting fascist colleges and universities. The fact that JT is a professor shows he can be part of an organization but not myopic about its failings. The same holds true on attorneys. JT hits them hard as well.
I agree with Steve. Parents need to use some judgment. Maybe do not provide monetary assistance for college or grad school. Electricians seem to think better than teachers.
I say remove the names of all slave holders from our cities, towns, and universities. Washington, Jefferson, to name two. Harvard needs a depiction of a real seal. A seal from the ocean. Went in dumb, come out dumb too, hustlin round Boston in their alligator shoes. Where is Harvard? Maine? South Carolina? Harlem?
I found this rather confusing, so had to do more research. I think it’s worth pointing out that the seal in question is not the famous Harvard 3-book “veritias” shield shown at the top of this article, but rather the law school’s own seal, which features the coat of arms of the Royall family.
Not passing any judgment on the merits, it just seemed a necessary clarification.
We are spending far too much time on stupid college kids and the craven administrations of those universities.
Let them immolate their ivory towers; they will experience the consequences soon enough.
Parents – use some judgement when you send your kids to college.
third-year law student Alexander Clayborne insists that the effort is part of “[o]ur larger goals include decolonization of the law school in general and decolonization of the law school curriculum.”
Are they all crazy?