Undergraduate Researcher Spotlight: Pierce Smith

Did you know enslaved people were petitioning for their emancipation decades before the Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863?

Pierce Smith, a rising sophomore Anthropology major, spent his summer researching the Queens, a family of enslaved people who petitioned for their emancipation decades before Emancipation in 1863.

Under the guidance of Dr. Pavão-Zuckerman, Lae’l Hughes-Watkins, and Doug McElrath, and supported by the UMD College of Behavioral & Social Sciences Summer Research Initiative (SRI) and The 1856 Project, Pierce studied members of the Queen family and examined how the verdicts of their petitions for emancipation differed in the late 1700s and early 1800s in Washington, D.C., and in Prince George’s County. 

Pierce presented his research, “The Pursuit of Freedom: Justice is Not Always Just” at the 2026 BSOS Summer Research Initiative Poster Symposium this summer. 

In preparation for the poster symposium, Pierce spent his summer conducting research with the University of Maryland’s 1856 Project, aiming to better understand the connection between the University of Maryland and American slavery. Pierce used sources such as court case documents, property tax records, and law records to form claims. In addition, he also learned more about life as an enslaved worker as he went on field trips to former slave plantations like Monticello and Montpelier.

As he continues his research, he hopes to learn more about the legal foundations that shaped the construction of what is now the University of Maryland, College Park!