As the country prepares for its 250th birthday, there are no shortage of celebratory events to attend. In my hometown of Philadelphia, for example, there have been historical reenactments and other events celebrating revolutionary milestones throughout the year. In Princeton, we have access to opportunities that can enrich our experience of the anniversary. Walking our university’s campus every day makes it easy to take for granted the footsteps of greatness we follow. However, I believe that reflecting on Princeton’s role in the Revolution – the legacy of which surrounds us in the form of buildings, monuments, and documents – will help us gain a deeper appreciation of our history and lead us to recommit to the values we hold dear as Americans.
Princeton has always stood at a crossroads between Philadelphia and New York, holding a unique position in the American story as a result. It can be hard to imagine today, given the bustle of Nassau Street, but Princeton was once a tiny town numbering under 300 people. The College of New Jersey was the centerpiece of the town, featuring Nassau Hall, the largest stone building in British North America. It housed classrooms, dorms, a chapel, a kitchen, and a grammar school for children in the basement.
Despite its small size, the college played an outsized role in the Revolution. Princeton produced a remarkable 12 members of the Continental Congress and 9 delegates of the Constitutional Convention. Among those numbers were hugely influential figures like James Madison, Benjamin Rush, and Aaron Burr. Throughout the period, then, Americans relied upon Princeton alumni to address the nation’s challenges. The college under John Witherspoon was a changing institution, departing from its founding mission of spreading the Great Awakening and becoming a proper liberal arts college in which students could study natural science, mathematics, philosophy, politics, rhetoric, modern literature, and history. Students regularly participated in debates and discussions about topics such as whether mixed monarchy is the best form of government, the advantages of political liberty, and the power of the people to constitute their own governments. These conversations educated the Princeton students who became Founding Fathers, shaping their beliefs about what path forward the new country ought to follow.
During the major events of the Revolution, Princeton students followed the lead of the broader patriot cause in the country. For example, in 1774, students and professors unanimously agreed to drink no more tea. Students showed their support for the Boston Tea Party by burning the college’s store of tea. President Witherspoon allowed these student activities to take place because he believed that the English King was subjecting the North American colonies to the same kind of tyranny that his home country of Scotland had experienced during the imperial crisis.
Eventually, Princeton became caught up directly in the events of the war. In fact, the state of New Jersey saw 238 battles, more battles than any other colony. In 1776, the town stood between the revolutionary capital of Philadelphia and British-controlled New York. On November 29, Witherspoon summoned the students into the prayer hall within Nassau Hall and told them they had to leave the college for their own safety. In December, the British marched into Princeton in pursuit of the retreating Patriots, looting and pillaging the town. They tore down fences for firewood, seized livestock, and ransacked the college, transforming it into their own personal barracks.
Having been forced to retreat due to the onslaught of the British regulars, the American soldiers felt demoralized and looked forward to January 1st, the date their enlistments ended. Understanding that his army was near collapse, Washington embarked on his famous crossing of the Delaware on Christmas to attack the Hessian mercenaries in Trenton. It was this series of engagements that eventually brought the Patriots back to Princeton. On January 3rd, 1777, American and British forces clashed in the Battle of Princeton. The battle raged through fields and orchards before reaching Nassau Hall itself. Columbia student captain Alexander Hamilton ordered his artillery unit to strike the building, and soon the British surrendered. Princeton at that moment turned from an occupied town into a symbol of the country’s successful resistance and victory over British oppression.
The battle restored the soldiers’ conviction that the cause of liberty was truly within their grasp, reinvigorating the Continental Army. It proved to the Americans that they could stand up to British forces and win a meaningful victory, despite all the previous losses they had suffered. It made a failing rebellion seem viable again, which at that critical junction kept the fight for independence alive. Nassau Hall was the country’s capital when Congress received the news that the Treaty of Paris had been signed, formally ending the war. So, in a sense, the country formally began right here in Nassau Hall.
Princeton itself therefore has a dual identity in the story of America. It was a place where revolutionary ideas were formed, debated, and tested against the reality of warfare. The same students who once argued about liberty and government entered positions of power, where they actually implemented their beliefs. Nassau Hall stands as an important convergence point of intellectual life and military battle. The convergence of thought and action gives Princeton a special role in the founding.
Today, we may walk past these buildings without fully recognizing the significance of this town to the country’s beginning. Princeton represents a moment where the Revolution could have failed, but the strength of American patriots came together to keep enlightenment ideals of liberty alive. It reminds us that the founding was not destined; it was built on decisions, risks, and sacrifices that layer the ground we walk on.
As the 250th anniversary approaches, towns like Princeton offer us more than just a setting in which to celebrate. They provide us with a genuine opportunity to reflect on the contingent outcome of the Revolution and the courage of the Patriots. Such a reflection challenges us to think more critically about the values we inherit and the history we continue to write as members of the Princeton community.
Image Credit — Wikimedia Commons
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