Maryland Province Archives

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Cow grazing in field in front of a Catholic Church in Bowie, Maryland.

The Archives of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Maryland Province Archives or MPA, represents a crucial primary source for the study of the Jesuit Order from its arrival in the English colonies in 1634 through its expansion along the eastern seaboard, and, more broadly, for the study of Catholicism in America. The MPA also documents the history and development of Georgetown University. Of particular significance is the documentation of the Jesuits’ and Georgetown University's connection to slavery, most notably the 1838 sale of 272 slaves by the Maryland Province, proceeds of which benefited what was then Georgetown College.