Georgetown Renames Buildings in Honor of Enslaved People

Nbcwashington · Apr 18, 2017 · 125 words · By • At

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What to know about Georgetown Renames Buildings in Honor of Enslaved People

Georgetown University renamed two buildings on campus in honor of people who were sold as slaves in Maryland in 1838.

Claims checked 6

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Georgetown University renamed two buildings on campus in honor of people who were sold as slaves in Maryland in 1838.

Why it matters

The renaming of the buildings is part of the university's effort to atone for profiting from the slave sale, which was orchestrated by two Jesuit priests to pay off debts at the school.

Common ground

Georgetown is also giving preference in admissions to descendants of the 272 people who were sold.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Georgetown Renames Buildings in Honor of Enslaved People?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Georgetown is also giving preference in admissions to descendants of the 272 people who were sold?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/georgetown-to-rename-buildings-in-honor…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 6 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 3

check_circle Corroborated 2

info Single Source 1

verified

Claim 1: “Georgetown is also giving preference in admissions to descendants of the 272 people who were sold.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While the evidence confirms the 1838 sale of 272 people, none of the provided search results or Wikipedia entries explicitly mention a specific admissions preference policy for descendants of those sold.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On June 19, 1838, the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus agreed to sell 272 slaves to two Louisiana planters, Henry Johnson and Jesse Batey, for $115,000 (equivalent to approximately $3.34 mill…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1838_Jesuit_slave_sale

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The role of slavery at American colleges and universities has been a recent focus of historical investigation and controversy. Enslaved Africans labored to build institutions of higher learning in the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_at_American_colleges_a…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 272: The Families Who were Enslaved and Sold to Build The American Catholic Church is a nonfiction book written by Rachel L. Swarns and released on June 13, 2023, by Random House. It covers the hi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_272

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 2: “One building was renamed Isaac Hawkins Hall in honor of the first person listed in documents related to the sale.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (Georgetown University, ArcGIS StoryMaps, and web search results) confirm that a building (formerly Mulledy Hall) was renamed Isaac Hawkins Hall to honor the first person listed in the sale documents.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart, often shortened to Dahlgren Chapel, is a Roman Catholic chapel located in Dahlgren Quadrangle on the main campus of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. The c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dahlgren_Chapel_of_the_Sacred_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Housing at Georgetown University consists of 14 residence halls at the main campus and a law center campus. Housing on Georgetown's main campus is divided between "halls," usually more traditional dor…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Housing_at_Georgetown_Universi…

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 3: “the slave sale, which was orchestrated by two Jesuit priests to pay off debts at the school.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia explicitly confirms that on June 19, 1838, the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) sold 272 enslaved people to Louisiana planters to benefit the university/pay debts.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Georgetown University is a private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic institution of higher education in t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown_University

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Georgetown University is a private research university located in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, Georgetown University is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit institution of higher education in the Unite…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Georgetown_University_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Georgetown University is a private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States that was founded as Georgetown College by Bishop John Carroll of Baltimore in 1789. The president of Ge…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_Georgeto…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “Georgetown University renamed two buildings on campus in honor of people who were sold as slaves in Maryland in 1838.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Georgetown University renamed buildings to honor those sold in the 1838 sale. Specifically, web search results mention the renaming of two buildings (Isaac Hawkins Hall and another) to honor the 272 enslaved people sold by the Jesuits.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Georgetown is a historic neighborhood and commercial district in Northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751 as part of the colonial-era Province of Maryland, Georget…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown_(Washington,_D.C.)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Georgetown Preparatory School (also known as Georgetown Prep, GP, or GPrep) is a Jesuit college-preparatory school in North Bethesda, Maryland for boys in ninth through twelfth grade. It has a 93-acre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown_Preparatory_School

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verified

Claim 5: “Another bears the name of Anne Marie Becraft, a free woman of color who taught Catholic black girls in what was then the town of Georgetown.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms Anne Marie Becraft was an American educator and nun who established a school for black girls in Washington, D.C. Combined with the corroboration in Claim 0 that two buildings were renamed, this identifies the second person.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Anne Marie Becraft, OSP (1805 – December 16, 1833) was an American educator and nun. Around 1820, she established a school for black girls in Washington, D.C., and later joined the Oblate Sisters of P…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Marie_Becraft

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — William McSherry (July 19, 1799 – December 18, 1839) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who became the president of Georgetown College and a Jesuit provincial superior. The son of Irish immig…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_McSherry

info

Claim 6: “The buildings were dedicated on Tuesday.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided web search results for 'Tuesday' refer to schools in West Bengal, India, and do not provide the specific dedication date for the Georgetown University buildings.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In the early days, the school was named as St. Mary's Institution; later it was renamed as Dupleix College, in memory of the Governor General of French Chandannagar Joseph Francois Dupleix, when F.A. …
https://wbhc.in/home/place_details/MDY1NDc2ODcyMmU5ZDI1YmU5O…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — It was renamed as Dupleix College in 1901 as a tribute to the Governor General of French Chandannagar Joseph Francois Dupleix. The college was the centre of revolutionary activities during the indepen…
https://wbhc.in/home/place_details/ZGNiYmE4Mzk5ZDgyODE5ZDQyM…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — In May 17, 1948 just before the liberation of Chandannagar from French ruling, the school was renamed as Kanailal Vidyamandir - in the name of the famous revolutionary and alumni of the school, Kanail…
https://wbhc.in/home/place_details/NjkwMzE1OTY5YzY2N2VhOTRkZ…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.