Yale Renames Calhoun College Over Slavery Ties

History can be as ugly and unfair as it can be good and worthy of praise. To ignore it and "hide" it is silly and lessens the sacrifices of those who lived through it .

Yale is going to rename a residential college that took it's name from someone who supported slavery. Last year cooler heads prevailed and the board of trustees decided to keep the name instead of papering over the slavery issue.

Yale University will change the name of Calhoun College, a residential college named for an ardent supporter of slavery, and replace that moniker with one honoring computer scientist Grace Murray Hopper.

University trustees, known as the Yale Corporation, voted in favor of the renaming on Friday, reversing a decision last year to keep the name. Keeping the name had been defended as a way to confront rather than paper over the legacy of slavery.

www.wsj.com...

Yale is struggling with how to honor history with out offending modern sensibilities.

Yale is among a number of colleges that have grappled with how to honor their histories without offending modern sensibilities. Vanderbilt University last year said it would pay $1.2 million to remove the word “Confederate” from a residence hall’s facade, while Princeton University said it would keep Woodrow Wilson’s name on its school of public and international affairs and a residential college, while increasing discussion of the former president’s support of segregation.

Grace Murray Hopper? I`m surprised they didn`t change the name to martin luther king that`s what everyone does when they are trying to prove that they aren`t racist.

a reply to: Tardacus

I find it dubious that covering up the name is going to make the slavery issue go away?

Why did they name it Calhoun in the first place?

If it is that big of a deal, and we have become that sensitive, we are hip deep in trouble.

You're absolutely right: why is it a big deal? To you, I mean.

They didn't want their building named after a flaming racist anymore. So what? I don't think anybody is going to forget that Calhoun was pro slavery and believed in the superiority of the white race just because Yale decided to not have a building named after him anymore.

a reply to: seasonal

I don't see why this is surprising or frowned upon.

Would a Jewish student feel alright about attending Hitler College?

a reply to: Shamrock6

Well considering that Calhoun was born in the 1780's, and slavery was legal. I hate the thought of any one being enslaved but they were.
And as an aside, Michigan has a county named after him, ut oh should we get out the markers and start changing all the police, fire, buildings and signs? I bet that would cost millions.

Calhoun County was named in honor of John C. Calhoun on October 29, 1829, when the legislative council of the territory met to assign boundaries to the county. At the time, John C. Calhoun was a member of President Jackson's cabinet and also served as a senator from South Carolina.

They didn't want their building named after a flaming racist anymore. So what? I don't think anybody is going to forget that Calhoun was pro slavery and believed in the superiority of the white race just because Yale decided to not have a building named after him anymore.

originally posted by: Abysha
a reply to: seasonal

I don't see why this is surprising or frowned upon.

Would a Jewish student feel alright about attending Hitler College?

That`s an absurd comparison.

When Calhoun was president slavery was legal in the U.S

putting jews in ovens was never legal anywhere.

I have no doubt that some things that are legal today won`t be legal in 300 years and in 300 years it will be absurb to demonize anyone who follows and supports those laws today.

people need to just stop comparing everything they disagree with to hitler.

a reply to: Abysha

Again with the Hitler, OK.

Hitler was not born in 1780 when slavery was legal. He was a leader of a group that was defeated in WW II.

originally posted by: Tardacus

originally posted by: Abysha
a reply to: seasonal

I don't see why this is surprising or frowned upon.

Would a Jewish student feel alright about attending Hitler College?

That`s an absurd comparison.

When Calhoun was president slavery was legal in the U.S

putting jews in ovens was never legal anywhere.

It was legal in Nazi Germany.

originally posted by: seasonal
a reply to: Abysha

Again with the Hitler, OK.

Hitler was not born in 1780 when slavery was legal. He was a leader of a group that was defeated in WW II.

Aside from scope and magnitude, I see no difference.

a reply to: Abysha

no it wasn`t, just because they did it doesn`t mean it was legal, they hid what they were doing from the german people because it was illegal.

do you have a link to the german law that said it was legal to burn jews in ovens?

Hitler did a lot of things that were illegal.

a reply to: Tardacus

You are right alot of things we do is going to be seen as barbaric. Killing animals for meat so will burning gas in cars and cutting people open for surgery........

In 2257 are we going to remove Trumps glorious face from Mount Rushmore because of it?

a reply to: Abysha

Please give a source for the legalization of killing jews in Germany.

a reply to: Abysha

Well that means we simply disagree, and that's OK.

originally posted by: seasonal
a reply to: Abysha

Please give a source for the legalization of killing jews in Germany.

I would like to see that link too, a link to the german law that said it`s legal to burn jews in ovens.

a reply to: Tardacus

Of course Jews were killed, but I have never read or seen evidence that it was indeed legal.

a reply to: Abysha

Don't leave after calling names, this is a fact based discussion. All I did was wanted facts to be sure we are discussing real things.

originally posted by: Tardacus
Grace Murray Hopper? I`m surprised they didn`t change the name to martin luther king that`s what everyone does when they are trying to prove that they aren`t racist.

Dr. King is out of favor with the current crowd because he preached nonviolence. He believed in moral standards. He believed in judging by the content of character rather than the color of skin. Today's Authoritarians and Progressives don't feel the need to honor him.

originally posted by: seasonal
a reply to: Tardacus

Of course Jews were killed, but I have never read or seen evidence that it was indeed legal.

exactly, it happened but it wasn`t legal.

when the concentration camps were liberated people in the towns that were in sight of the camps said that they had no idea what was happening in the camps because they were forbidden to go near the camps.