Brothers in Unity

Last updated
Brothers in Unity
Brothers in Unity Seal.png
Founded1768, revived 2021
Yale University
TypeSenior secret society
EmphasisPublic and military service
ScopeLocal
MottoE parvis oriuntur magna
(From small things come great things)
Chapters1
Members120 collegiate
NicknameBrothers
Full NameThe Society of Brothers in Unity
Headquarters New Haven , Connecticut
United States
Website www.brothersinunity.org

Brothers in Unity (formally, the Society of Brothers in Unity) is an undergraduate literary and debating society at Yale University. [1] Founded in 1768 as a literary and debating society that encompassed nearly half the student body at its 19th-century peak, the group disbanded in the late 1870s after donating its collection of books to help form Yale's central library. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

It was revived in 2021 as a secret society by members of the senior class and alumni. [5] [6]

References to Brothers in Unity can be found throughout Yale's campus, including several within the courtyards of Branford College Brothers in Unity Markings.JPG
References to Brothers in Unity can be found throughout Yale's campus, including several within the courtyards of Branford College
Brothers in Unity and Linonia Society memorial Linonia Court2.jpg
Brothers in Unity and Linonia Society memorial
Linonia and Brothers Room, Sterling Memorial Library Linonia Room SML.jpg
Linonia and Brothers Room, Sterling Memorial Library

History

First incarnation

The Society of Brothers in Unity at Yale College was founded in 1768 by 21 members of the Yale classes of 1768, 1769, 1770, and 1771. The society was founded chiefly to reduce class separation among literary societies; at the time, Yale freshmen were not "received" into any society, and junior society members were forced into the servitude of seniors "under dread of the severest penalties". [7]

David Humphreys, a freshman of the class of 1771, persuaded two members of the senior class, three junior class members, two sophomores, and 14 freshmen to support the establishment of a new society. [7] Its founding members were: [8]

  • Joseph Barker
  • Lewis Beebe
  • John Brown
  • William Burrall
  • David Close
  • Josiah Cotton
  • Henry Daggett
  • Phinehas Fanning
  • John Hart
  • Levi Hubbell
  • David Humphreys
  • Mark Leavenworth
  • Achilles Mansfield
  • Allyn Mather
  • Sylvester Muirson
  • James Nichols
  • Josiah Pomeroy
  • Seth Sage
  • Oliver Stanley
  • Simeon Tryon
  • Joseph Woodbridge

The group picked Stanley as its first president. [8]

The notion of including freshmen was challenged by two or three existing literary groups that waged "an incessant war" against the new society, as described in Brothers in Unity's 1841 catalog of members. But within a year, Brothers became fully independent, its popularity influencing other societies to reconsider their exclusion of first-year students. The Yale College freshman class of 1771 ultimately yielded 15 members to the new group, while the older Linonian Society accepted four—the first recorded time in which underclassmen were publicly accepted into a Yale society. [7] It is speculated that this struggle launched the Brothers' century-long rivalry with Linonia.

Through at least 1841, the society is said to have followed the template of other debating societies, although operating under "Masonic secrecy," according to 19th-century Yale historian Ebenezer Baldwin. [9] Baldwin wrote that the group, in conjunction with Linonia and the Calliopean Society, discussed scientific questions and gravitated towards literary pursuits. This is substantiated by the Brothers' public documentation, which says the society sought "lofty places in science, literature, and oratory" fields, as well as general "intellectual improvement." [7] It also produced plays, including contemporary British dramas and works by its members. [10]

By the beginning of the 19th century, most Yale College students joined either the Brothers or Linonia. [11] "While the official curriculum remained extraordinarily rigid, the student body built a rich extra-curriculum through the literary societies that allowed them to explore subjects that would normally have no place in the college," wrote Elizabeth James in 2015. "Research papers, debates, and literary exercises gave vitality to intellectual life within the college. The societies provided a place where student voices and opinions could be heard, and their questions or thoughts about the world around them interrogated by their classmates." [2]  These societies helped pave Yale's way toward a broader European model of education. [2]

Both groups held expansive literary collections, which they used to compete against each other. Between 1780 and 1841, the Brothers claimed to own more volumes than Linonia, although these assertions are disputed. [7] [9] Despite their rivalry, the two societies described each other as "ornaments" of Yale and "generous rivals." [12] [13] [7] When Yale built its first central library in 1846, Linonia and Brothers in Unity accepted the library's invitation to house their collections in the new building. For several decades, the collections were maintained separately, each with a librarian, staff, catalogs, and building entrance. However, the society declined during the Civil War and against the competition of newer secret societies such as Skull and Bones. [8] Linonia and Brothers proposed donating their collections to Yale in 1860, and this was finally done in 1872. [2] [8] [3] These donations are commemorated in the Linonia and Brothers Room of Yale's Sterling Memorial Library. The reading room contains the Linonia and Brothers (L&B) collection, a travel collection, a collection devoted to medieval history, and books recently added to Sterling’s collections.

Brothers in Unity disbanded after the library donation; various sources say this happened in 1871, 1872, or 1878. [2] [3] [4]

Second incarnation (2021-present)

Brothers in Unity, December 2021 BIU-Delegation.jpg
Brothers in Unity, December 2021

In 2021, 21 Yale undergraduates revived the defunct society in a different form. [8] While the original Brothers had a relatively open admissions policy and a large membership, its new incarnation follows the model of Yale's restrictive and smaller senior secret societies. [9]

The new group says it seeks members with professional experience in, or simply passion for, certain types of public service, including the U.S. armed forces, U.S. Congress, the U.S. foreign service, and U.S. intelligence community; [5] and, in "exceptional circumstances", people who demonstrate business leadership or entrepreneurship. [14]

The society is funded by the 1768 Foundation Inc., a 501(c)(3) public charity administered by alumni. [15]

Brothers in Unitedy lapel pin Lapel Pin for Brothers.png
Brothers in Unitedy lapel pin

Symbols and traditions

Internally, members call the society the Brotherhood. [5] In 1768 or 1769, the Brothers adopted the motto E parvis oriuntur magna, meaning "From small things come great things". Its values are chivalry, openness, and selflessness. [8]

Activities

Brothers in Unity holds debates and invites speakers to discuss contemporary entrepreneurship, foreign policy, literature, and politics. [8] In 2021, it hosted a lecture named for Morrison Waite, the seventh chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, who helped strike down the Civil Rights Act of 1875. [8] The Brothers also award the David Humphreys Prize for a valedictory oration. [8]

In 2022, the Brothers donated photographs and documents concerning its revival to the Yale University Library's Manuscript and Archives collection. [16]

Membership

Membership in Brother in Unity admits 10 new members each spring. [8] A current Yale professor acts as an ex-officio member to advise the society. As of October 2023, it had 120 alumni and current members. [8]

Members of the group between 1768 and 1841 include 26 Yale valedictorians, several Supreme Court justices, one Chief Justice, six governors, 13 Senators, 45 Congressional representatives, a Secretary of the Navy, a Secretary of the Treasury, a Postmaster General, 14 presidents of colleges and universities, two U.S. Attorneys General, and a U.S. Vice President. [7] [17] By 1841, a total of 2,828 students had belonged to the group. [17]

Notable members

NameClass YearNotablityReferences
George Edmund Badger 1816 U.S. Secretary of the Navy, U.S. Senator
Henry Baldwin 1797Supreme Court justice and U.S. Representative
Leonard Bacon 1820Abolitionist and congregational preacher
Joel Barlow 1778Ambassador to France, drafted the Treaty of Tripoli [8]
John Brown of Pittsfield 1771Revolutionary War officer, a state legislator, and a Berkshire County judge
John M. Clayton 181518th U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Senator
Moses Cleaveland 1777Founded Cleveland, Ohio; Brigadier General of Connecticut militia
Mason Fitch Cogswell 1780Surgeon, pioneer of French sign language in the United States
Carroll Cutler 1854President of the Case Western Reserve University [18]
John Davis 1812 Governor of Massachusetts, U.S. senator and Representative
Henry Durant 1827Founded the University of California, Mayor of Oakland, California
William Edmond 1778politician
Christopher Ellery 1787U.S. Senator
John Elliott 1794U.S. Senator from Georgia.
William Ely 1787U.S. Representative from Massachusetts
Jeremiah Evarts 1802Missionary, reformer, and activist for the rights of Native Americans
Stephen Clark Foster 1840 Mayor of Los Angeles.
James Gadsden 1806 Adjutant General of the U.S. Army
Ezekiel Gilbert 1778U.S. Representative from New York
Thomas R. Gold 1786U.S. Representative
Chauncey Goodrich 1776U.S. Senator, 8th lieutenant governor of Connecticut
Gideon Granger 1787U.S. Postmaster General
Richard Henry Green 1857First African American to graduate from Yale [8] [19]
Ray Greene 1784U.S. Senator and Attorney General
Thomas H. Hubbard 1799U.S. Representative
William Hull 1772General in the War of 1812, Governor of Michigan
David Humphreys 1771American Revolutionary War colonel, Ambassador to Portugal [8]
James Lanman 1788U.S. Senator from Connecticut, Secretary of State of New York. U.S. Representative
Henry Meigs 1799U.S. Senator from New York
Samuel Morse 1810Inventor of Morse code
Thomas J. Oakley 1801U.S. Representative from New York, Attorney General for New York.
Peter Buell Porter 179112th U.S. Secretary of War
Israel Smith 1781 Governor of Vermont, senator, and U.S. representative
Benjamin Silliman 1796chemist, first to distill petroleum, and a founder of the American Journal of Science
John William Sterling 1864Founder of Shearling & Sterling
William Strong 1828Supreme Court justice
Alphonso Taft 1833 U.S. Secretary of War, U.S. Attorney General, founder of Skull and Bones
Benjamin Tallmadge 1773Spymaster and leader of the Culper Ring, Continental Army captain, U.S. representative
Thomas Thacher 1872lawyer
Uriah Tracy 1778 U.S. senator [8]
Morrison Waite 1837 Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
Noah Webster 1778founding father, author of Merriam-Webster dictionary [8]
Yung Wing 1854First Chinese student to graduate from an American university, businessman [8]
Oliver Wolcott Jr. 1778 U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and 24th governor of Connecticut [8]
William Channing Woodbridge 1812Geographer and educational reformer
Chauncey Langdon 1787United States Representative from Vermont (1815-1817 [8]
Theodore Dwight Woolsey 1820President of Yale College, author, and academic

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References

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  3. 1 2 3 "Yale University Library Research Guides: Yale History Timeline: 1870 - 1879". Yale Library. Archived from the original on 2022-10-27. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
  4. 1 2 Havemayer, Loomis (January 1961). "Yale's Extracurricular and Social Organizations 1780-1960". Eli Scholar's Page. Yale University. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 "About". Brothers in Unity. 2021-11-28. Archived from the original on November 28, 2021. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
  6. "Linonian and Brothers in Unity: The Societies that Built Yale University's Library". Connecticut History.Org. CT State Government. Archived from the original on 2 November 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Robinson, W.E. (1841). "Preface". A Catalogue of the Members of the Society of Brothers in Unity, Yale College, 1841. New Haven, Connecticut: Hitchcock & Stafford. pp.  1–6. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 "History". Brothers in Unity. Archived from the original on 2023-05-30. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  9. 1 2 3 Ebenezer Baldwin (1841). History of Yale College: From Its Foundation, A.D. 1700, to the Year 1838. B. and W. Noyes. pp. 235–236 via Internet Archive.
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  12. The Linonian Society Library of Yale College: The First Years, 1768—1790
  13. Kathy M. Umbricht Straka The Yale University Library Gazette, Vol. 54, No. 4 (April 1980), pp. 183-192
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  15. "1768 Foundation". Guidestar. October 31, 2022. Archived from the original on November 1, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
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  19. Bass, Carole; Branch, Mark Alden (February 28, 2014). "Yale College's first black grad: it's not who you think". Yale Alumni Magazine. Archived from the original on 2023-07-07. Retrieved 2023-07-06.