Curiously, the April 2026 PAW treats Princeton as an observer rather than an active participant in our Revolutionary War. In the “250 Years and Counting” article, the Declaration of Independence is highlighted, with no mention that the only college president who actually signed it was the president of what was at that time the College of New Jersey. Controversy swirls around him because of slave ownership allegations, but many of us believe we should be honoring the Rev. John Witherspoon, president of the College of New Jersey from 1768 to 1794, for the moral courage it took to be a patriotic hero and a remarkable leader during our Revolutionary War fight for independence. Sadly, not everyone agrees.
Curiously, the April 2026 PAW treats Princeton as an observer rather than an active participant in our Revolutionary War. In the “250 Years and Counting” article, the Declaration of Independence is highlighted, with no mention that the only college president who actually signed it was the president of what was at that time the College of New Jersey. Controversy swirls around him because of slave ownership allegations, but many of us believe we should be honoring the Rev. John Witherspoon, president of the College of New Jersey from 1768 to 1794, for the moral courage it took to be a patriotic hero and a remarkable leader during our Revolutionary War fight for independence. Sadly, not everyone agrees.