"No Condition to Race, Religion, or Station": The Early Drexel Institute and Race

“….There is no condition as to race, religion, or station for admission to any of the departments of the Institute.”

According to the Drexel Institute’s mission and Anthony J. Drexel’s wishes, admittance to the Institute was open to all, regardless of gender, class, or color. President MacAlister responded to one inquiry with these words: “….There is no condition as to race, religion, or station for admission to any of the departments of the Institute.”

In practice, this egalitarian ideal was not always reflected in the racial diversity of the student body. Few African Americans or other people of color were enrolled during the Drexel Institute’s early years. Was this de facto segregation due to unspoken racism, systemic and institutional barriers, or a combination of these factors? While clear answers are not forthcoming, looking at the archival record in the correspondence of Drexel Institute’s first president, James MacAlister (1840-1913) and records that document the Drexel Institute’s early students provides some insight.

Jump to these pages:

African American Students in the Early Years of the Drexel Institute

Native American Students, Drexel Institute, and the Carlisle Indian Industrial School

International Students Welcome: Filipino students in the Pensionados program