DIRECTOR OF THE SLAVERY AND ITS LEGACIES PROJECT

We are seeking a skilled researcher to organize and lead, from inception to completion, a project focused on St. John’s history related to slavery and its legacies. The successful candidate will have strong project management skills, as well as expertise in archival research and writing. Current graduate students in the field of history, postdoctoral fellows, and independent historians will be considered, with preference given to those with a background in the study of slavery. Familiarity with church archives is a plus.

The Director will be responsible for researching, planning, and drafting a book, intended for popular consumption, to document our history as it relates to slavery and its legacies. The primary focus will be the period from the church’s founding through the Civil War and Reconstruction. We also intend to highlight notable developments from Reconstruction to the present day. The research product must have historical integrity and reflect the moral and theological context in which it takes place.

Principal duties:

• Develop a project proposal, with a timeline for completion, in consultation with the church;

• Conduct archival research focused on St. John’s own extensive archives and, with their permission, those of the neighboring White House Historical Association, the Diocese of Washington and area dioceses, the Virginia Theological Seminary, the National Episcopal Church, local and national news archives, and other publicly available resources;

• Draft book chapters based on the archival findings and revise as needed in consultation with the church; and

• Prepare the manuscript for publication (i.e., copyediting, etc.) and interact with the publisher in connection therewith.

St. John’s is widely known as the “church of the Presidents” because every President since James Madison has attended at least one service, usually during his time in office. For example, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln used to walk over from the White House, alone, on occasional Sundays to attend evening services. A plaque hangs in the back of the church above the pew in which he regularly sat, forever designating it, “Lincoln’s Pew.” In 1933, a prayer service was held at St. John’s on the morning of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first inauguration, beginning a tradition to which most Presidents have adhered ever since.

The church was designed by “the second architect of the Capitol,” Benjamin Henry Latrobe, and our bell was cast by Paul Revere’s son, Joseph.

Like many other historic churches and institutions, St. John’s history is entwined with that of slavery. Enslavers were among our founders, benefactors, and parishioners. Enslaved people were likely among the church’s builders.