Let's take a moment to consider the main way #UNC, as an institution, participated in the slave trade - not just implicated in the actions of slaveowning students/faculty/administrators - but the actual buying and selling of human beings. Let's talk about the "escheat" system.

Back to 1776...the NC Provincial Congress mandates establishment of a university "paid by the public." UNC chartered in 1789 by act of Gen. Assembly, but no funding appropriated, instead gave Board of Trustees right to profit from "all property that shall escheat to the state."

What is escheat? A concept from English common law meaning any unclaimed property from an estate reverts to the Crown. Applied in the US, revert to the State. In the South, if you were a slaver and died without a will, guess who'd take over your "human property?" The University.

But UNC just wanted the money. So escheated lands, property, and slaves were sold on the State's behalf, & then the profits funneled into the University's endowment. "These liberal provisions made UNC one of the most richly endowed institutions of learning in the American Union."

Interesting that in the 1790s the law became highly unpopular with citizens, seen as unlawful seizure of property, so legislators tried to repeal it. The University fought back and brought legal case, UNC v. Foy, which it eventually won and the escheat system was reinstated.

Knowing a good development opportunity when they saw it, the Board of Trustees didn't just wait for $ from sales of unclaimed property and enslaved people to come, but set up a network of attorneys (one in each judicial district, later one in each county) to pursue these funds.

From 1790-1840 UNC collected $134k (over $4 million in 2019) from escheated estates. More than what was collected from tuition ($111K). Not known what percentage was from sale of enslaved people. If ever there was a case for reparations!

There's a longer political and legal history about the escheat system in NC. For extra credit, check this out: https://docsouth.unc.edu/unc/uncbk1012/uncbk1012.html Or these related original documents: https://exhibits.lib.unc.edu/exhibits/show/slavery/escheats