Rider University Removes Name of Revolutionary War Veteran from Campus Building
“Judged by the standards of his time or ours, Van Cleve’s actions and attitudes have no place in the Rider community.”
Do you remember when the left insisted this was only about Confederate soldiers? They lied. That was just the way they go their foot in the door.
The College Fix reports:
University removes name of Revolutionary War vet from campus building
Rider University in New Jersey has changed the name of its Van Cleve Alumni House to the Alumni House after research into the namesake revealed he owned slaves.
Benjamin Van Cleve was a signer of the U.S. Constitution, a Revolutionary War veteran, and New Jersey statesman.
“Van Cleve’s life included fighting for the ideal of liberty while also participating in and championing the cruelty of slavery and the degradation and dehumanization of Black Americans,” President Gregory Dell’Omo and board Chair John Guarino state in a joint letter Oct. 21 announcing the change.
“… Van Cleve chose to champion the institution of slavery even as other citizens in New Jersey awoke to the cause of abolition and the horrors of human bondage. Judged by the standards of his time or ours, Van Cleve’s actions and attitudes have no place in the Rider community.”
A temporary sign was recently erected in front of the building, and the university has plans for permanent signs and other educational materials regarding the history of slavery at Rider, according to the announcement. A new section on its website already explores the topic.
The house is located on property formerly owned by Van Cleve. Rider purchased the land in 1956, naming the building after its previous owner.
When the university recognized Van Cleve’s potential link to slavery, the Task Force on Rider and the History of Slavery convened in the summer of 2020. The committee of students, faculty, staff and alumni researched the university’s historical ties to slavery and recommended a course of action to address their findings.
Rider University accounting Professor Evelyn McDowell, who co-chaired the task force, said the decision to remove his name has received some negative feedback — but mostly very positive feedback.
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Comments
This is yet another example of how the woke left is destroying American history. Van Cleve was one of those great people in history who helped make that great decision to create constitutional republic, as opposed to a pure democracy, Whether Van Cleve had slaves is irrelevant,
Simple. Give the property back to the Van Cleve family. There. Problem solved.
Why on earth would they do that? They bought it fair and square, and can now call it whatever they like.
Rider University: Reason #457 why funding for higher education should be completely deep-sixed.