History
‘We’ll Keep Telling the Truth’: A Century Later, Harvard Affiliates Continue Pushing Harvard to Address 1920 Secret Court
In 1920, administrators at Harvard convened a Secret Court to convict 14 individuals "guilty" of involvement or ties to "any homosexual act." A century later — but just two decades after the Court was first exposed — affiliates continue efforts to address the little-known history.
Pitman Model of Harvard as It Was in 1775
This 1947 photo shows the Pitman diorama of Harvard in 1775 looking down Cambridge Common. The year before campus became quarters for American militiamen amid the Revolution, Harvard Yard had only a dotting of colonial buildings.
Harvard Klansmen in 1924
Harvard Klansmen pose for a second shot at commencement in 1924. One Klan member, sitting in the lap of the John Harvard Statue, with his body facing the statue turns his head towards the camera.
Kent Garrett
Kent A. Garrett Jr. ’63, one of the few Black students at Harvard in the early 1960s, published a book last year anthologizing the experiences of him and his former Black classmates.
Zachary B. Nowak
Zachary B. Nowak, a lecturer in the Department of History, who teaches a popular class on Harvard history, was stunned when he heard of the existence of the KKK at the University.
Charles L. Greenblatt
Charles L. Greenblatt ’52 pictured during his Harvard undergraduate years. Greenblatt was then a spokesperson for the Society of Minority Rights, a student club that condemned the 1952 cross burning in Harvard Yard.
Harvard Klansmen in 1924
Members of the Harvard branch of the Ku Klux Klan pose for a graduation photo on Class Day 1924 at the foot of the John Harvard Statue in Harvard Yard.
Kent Garrett Yearbook
Kent A. Garrett Jr.’s ’63 headshot in the Harvard Yearbook. Garrett was one of a handful of Black students that attended Harvard at the time.
Harvard History Professor Presents Life and Legacy of John F. Kennedy '40 at IOP Event
Harvard History professor Fredrik Logevall presented his research on the political development of former President John F. Kennedy ’40 while he was a student at Harvard College at a virtual Harvard Kennedy School forum Tuesday.
Harvard Faculty Sign Open Letter Calling for Trump’s Impeachment
Twelve Harvard faculty joined more than 300 American historians and legal scholars in signing an open letter calling for President Donald J. Trump to be impeached for the second time in his presidential term.
Harvard’s Center for European Studies Hosts Seminar on the Removal of Pro-Slavery Monuments
Howard University professor Ana Lucia Araujo and Carnegie Mellon professor Mame-Fatou Niang discussed the removal of statues that depict slave traders and owners in Europe Wednesday afternoon.
Scholars Trace Violent History of Immigration Policy at 'Border Inhumanities' Panel
Scholars discussed the origins and evolution of migration and border politics at a panel discussion Monday evening, pointing out violence throughout the history of American immigration policy.
The History of Harvard's Commencement, Explained
2020 isn’t the first year Harvard’s traditional Commencement Exercises were cancelled or postponed.
Former HUD Secretary, History Professor Discuss Urban Renewal at GSD
A former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and former Dean of the Radcliffe Institute discussed past and present issues of urban renewal at the Graduate School of Design.
Potential Ethnic Studies Faculty Hire Erika Lee Visits Harvard
Erika Lee, a candidate for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences’s ethnic studies faculty search, gave a lecture and met with undergraduates on campus Wednesday.
Harvard Professors Sign Letter Supporting President Trump’s Impeachment
Twenty-five Harvard faculty joined more than 1,500 historians to sign an open letter Monday denouncing President Donald J. Trump’s “numerous and flagrant abuses of power” and calling for his impeachment.
Chen Jian Discusses Zhou Enlai at JFK Jr. Forum
Chen Jian, a history professor at Cornell University, discussed his upcoming biography of Zhou Enlai — the first Premier of the People's Republic of China — examining Zhou's role in Chinese political history, during a talk at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum Monday evening.
Responding to a ‘Crisis in the Humanities,’ Harvard History Dept. Rebrands
Most notably, this fall the department rolled out a new series of “foundations” courses geared toward freshmen and students outside the concentration, including those attempting to fulfill the General Education program’s new Social Sciences distributional requirement.
Robinson Hall
Robinson Hall houses the History department, which launched a campaign promoting introductory-level classes to freshmen and non-concentrators this semester.
Harvard Has 'The Law on Our Side' in Lawsuit Over Photos of Slaves, Bacow Says
University President Lawrence S. Bacow said in an interview Friday that he is confident Harvard is on the right side of the law in a suit alleging that Harvard unlawfully possesses and profits off two photographs of American slaves that are believed to be the oldest of their kind in existence.
Harvard Finishes Eight-Month Renovation of Robinson Hall
The University has finished an eight-month renovation of Robinson Hall, one of the last buildings in Harvard Yard that was not wheelchair accessible. The construction project added an elevator, modernized offices and classrooms in the building, and relocated the bathrooms.
Colonial Print Master
Gary Gregory uses colonial ink balls to ink his type at the Printing Office of Edes & Gill in Boston. Gregory, a salesman turned modern-day colonial print master, founded this colonial printing museum and exhibit in 2010.
A Freshly Printed Declaration
Gary Gregory holds up his completed colonial print of the Declaration of Independence.
Revolutionary War Soldiers, Freed Slaves Buried By Yard May Finally Receive Headstones
Ever since a small plaque caught his eye, Hill, a digital filmmaking major, has been doing research in the hopes of finding the exact spot where the two men are buried.
Old Burial Ground
The Old Burying Ground, located on Massachusetts Avenue and Garden Street, opened around 1636.