History of slavery in New Jersey
Encyclopedia
Slavery in New Jersey began in the early 17th century shortly after Dutch settlement
. After England
took the colony in 1664, it continued the importation of slaves from Africa
, and for a time imported enslaved Native Americans
from the Carolinas and the West Indies. Most Dutch and English immigrants entered the colony as indentured servant
s, who worked for a fixed number of years to repay their passage. As conditions in England improved and the number of indentured laborers declined, New Jersey's colonists imported more Africans for labor. To promote increasing the number of laborers and settlers, the European developers of the New Jersey colony awarded settlers headrights of 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of land for each person transported to the colony.
At the time of the American Revolution
, enslaved African Americans were found supporting each side. Many gained freedom by migrating to the British and Loyalists
to join their forces.
New Jersey was the last of the Northern
states to abolish slavery. It created a gradual abolition. Beginning in 1804, New Jersey considered African Americans to be born free, but required children to serve apprenticeship
s as a type of indentured servant until early adulthood for the owners of their slave mothers.
The Underground Railroad
had several routes crossing the state, four of which ended in Jersey City
, where runaway slaves could cross the Hudson River. During the American Civil War
, African Americans served in several all-black Union Army regiments from New Jersey.
In 2008, New Jersey became the third state in the Union to apologize for slavery.
introduced slavery in 1625 with the importation of eleven black slaves who worked as farmers, fur traders, and builders to New Amsterdam
, capital of the nascent province of New Netherland
, which later expanded across the North River (Hudson River) to Pavonia
and Communipaw
, eventually becoming Bergen
, where slave worked the company plantation. Later slaves were held privately by the settlers to the area. Although enslaved, the Africans had a few basic rights and families were usually kept intact. Admitted to the Dutch Reformed Church and married by its ministers, their children could be baptized. Slaves could testify in court, sign legal documents, and bring civil actions against whites. Some were permitted to work after hours earning wages equal to those paid to white workers. When the colony fell, the company freed all its slaves, establishing early on a nucleus of free negros
.
English traders continued to import African slaves after they took over the colony from the Dutch.
Early laws of the proprietorship encouraged the importation of slaves for labor by offering settlers headright
s, an award of allocations of land based on numbers of slaves imported to the colony. The first African slaves to appear in English records were owned by Colonel Lewis Morris in Shrewsbury
. In an early attempt to control the African slave trade, the New Jersey legislature enacted a prohibitive tariff to encourage European indentured servitude. When this act expired in 1721, however, the British Government and New Jersey's royal governor, countered attempts to renew it. This was because the slave trade was a royal monopoly, and thus a lucrative enterprise.
According to American historian Giles Wright, by 1790 New Jersey's enslaved population numbered approximately 14,000. They were virtually all African American. The 1790 census, however, recorded 11,423 slaves, 6.2 percent of the total population of 184,139. In the decades before the Revolution, slaves were numerous near Perth Amboy, a major point of entry, and in the eastern counties. Slaves were generally used for agricultural labor, but they also filled skilled artisan jobs in shipyards and industry in coastal cities.
, the emphasis on legal equality and the rights of man caused legislators in some states to consider abolishing slavery. The New Jersey state legislature was the last in the north to do so, passing a law in 1804 for the gradual abolition
of slavery. The 1804 statute and subsequent laws freed only slaves born after the law was passed. Furthermore, African Americans born to slave parents after July 4, 1804, had to serve lengthy apprenticeship
s to the owners of their mothers. Women were freed at 21, but men were not emancipated until the age of 25. Slaves born before these laws were passed were considered "apprenticed for life."
Although at first New Jersey allowed African American men to vote, the legislature disfranchised them in 1807. In 1830 two-thirds of those enslaved in the North lived in New Jersey. It was not until 1846 that New Jersey completely abolished slavery. Although slavery was abolished in 1846 by statute ("An Act to Abolish Slavery"), it was only a name change. Former slaves were termed apprentices and were still subject to servitude to their owners. It was not until the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
was passed that all forms of involuntary servitude were abolished in New Jersey.
There were also communities of free negro
s and freedmen, possibly at Dunkerhook in Paramus
and at the state line at Skunk Hollow.
, however, there were still African Americans in New Jersey who remained in bondage. Although legally free, some African Americans had to stay with their former owners until the Thirteenth Amendment was finally ratified in December 1865.
In the 1860 census, free colored persons in New Jersey numbered 25,318, about 4% of the state's population of 672,035. By 1870 the number had increased to 30,658, but they now constituted a smaller percentage of the population. Overall, New Jersey's population had increased to 906,096, thanks to the addition of nearly 200,000 European immigrants.
New Jersey was not only slow to abolish slavery. It was also reluctant to pass the 13th Amendment. The state did not ratify the 13th Amendment until January 1866. Some of its industries, such as shoes and clothing, had strong markets in the South supplying planters for their slaves, which was probably a factor.
In 1875, "Jack" Jackson, who was described as the last slave in New Jersey, died at the age of 87 on the Smith family farm at Secaucus
. In 1820, Abel Smith, manumitted
his slaves, but Jackson refused and remained on the family estate until his death. Following the will of the late Abel Smith, he was interred in the family burial ground
.
acknowledged the state's role in the history of slavery in the United States.
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
. After England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
took the colony in 1664, it continued the importation of slaves from Africa
Atlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade, also known as the trans-atlantic slave trade, refers to the trade in slaves that took place across the Atlantic ocean from the sixteenth through to the nineteenth centuries...
, and for a time imported enslaved Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
from the Carolinas and the West Indies. Most Dutch and English immigrants entered the colony as indentured servant
Indentured servant
Indentured servitude refers to the historical practice of contracting to work for a fixed period of time, typically three to seven years, in exchange for transportation, food, clothing, lodging and other necessities during the term of indenture. Usually the father made the arrangements and signed...
s, who worked for a fixed number of years to repay their passage. As conditions in England improved and the number of indentured laborers declined, New Jersey's colonists imported more Africans for labor. To promote increasing the number of laborers and settlers, the European developers of the New Jersey colony awarded settlers headrights of 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of land for each person transported to the colony.
At the time of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, enslaved African Americans were found supporting each side. Many gained freedom by migrating to the British and Loyalists
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
to join their forces.
New Jersey was the last of the Northern
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
states to abolish slavery. It created a gradual abolition. Beginning in 1804, New Jersey considered African Americans to be born free, but required children to serve apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
s as a type of indentured servant until early adulthood for the owners of their slave mothers.
The Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
had several routes crossing the state, four of which ended in Jersey City
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
, where runaway slaves could cross the Hudson River. During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, African Americans served in several all-black Union Army regiments from New Jersey.
In 2008, New Jersey became the third state in the Union to apologize for slavery.
Colonial Period
The Dutch West India CompanyDutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
introduced slavery in 1625 with the importation of eleven black slaves who worked as farmers, fur traders, and builders to New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City....
, capital of the nascent province of New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
, which later expanded across the North River (Hudson River) to Pavonia
Pavonia, New Netherland
Pavonia was the first European settlement on the west bank of the North River that was part of the 17th century province of New Netherland in what would become today's Hudson County, New Jersey.-Hudson and the Hackensack:...
and Communipaw
Communipaw
Communipaw is a section of Jersey City, New Jersey west of Liberty State Park and east of Bergen Hill, and site of one the earliest European settlements in North America. It gives its name to the historic avenue which runs from its eastern end near LSP Station through the neighborhoods of...
, eventually becoming Bergen
Bergen, New Netherland
Bergen was a part of the 17th century province of New Netherland, in the area in northeastern New Jersey along the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers that would become contemporary Hudson and Bergen Counties...
, where slave worked the company plantation. Later slaves were held privately by the settlers to the area. Although enslaved, the Africans had a few basic rights and families were usually kept intact. Admitted to the Dutch Reformed Church and married by its ministers, their children could be baptized. Slaves could testify in court, sign legal documents, and bring civil actions against whites. Some were permitted to work after hours earning wages equal to those paid to white workers. When the colony fell, the company freed all its slaves, establishing early on a nucleus of free negros
Free Negro
A free Negro or free black is the term used prior to the abolition of slavery in the United States to describe African Americans who were not slaves. Almost all African Americans came to the United States as slaves, but from the earliest days of American slavery, slaveholders set men and women free...
.
English traders continued to import African slaves after they took over the colony from the Dutch.
Early laws of the proprietorship encouraged the importation of slaves for labor by offering settlers headright
Headright
A headright system is a legal grant of land to settlers who lived in Jamestown, Virginia. Headrights are most notable for their role in the expansion of the thirteen British colonies in North America; the Virginia Company of London gave headrights to settlers, and the Plymouth Company followed suit...
s, an award of allocations of land based on numbers of slaves imported to the colony. The first African slaves to appear in English records were owned by Colonel Lewis Morris in Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury, New Jersey
Shrewsbury is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 3,809....
. In an early attempt to control the African slave trade, the New Jersey legislature enacted a prohibitive tariff to encourage European indentured servitude. When this act expired in 1721, however, the British Government and New Jersey's royal governor, countered attempts to renew it. This was because the slave trade was a royal monopoly, and thus a lucrative enterprise.
According to American historian Giles Wright, by 1790 New Jersey's enslaved population numbered approximately 14,000. They were virtually all African American. The 1790 census, however, recorded 11,423 slaves, 6.2 percent of the total population of 184,139. In the decades before the Revolution, slaves were numerous near Perth Amboy, a major point of entry, and in the eastern counties. Slaves were generally used for agricultural labor, but they also filled skilled artisan jobs in shipyards and industry in coastal cities.
American Revolution
African-American slaves fought on both sides in the War for Independence. British military forces encouraged slaves to join their cause, offering the promise of freedom. Some African American loyalists went with the British to England after the close of the war; others were resettled as freemen in Nova Scotia or the Caribbean islands.Abolition of slavery
New Jersey banned the importation of slaves in 1788, but at the same time forbade free Negroes from elsewhere from settling in the state. In the years following the American RevolutionAmerican Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, the emphasis on legal equality and the rights of man caused legislators in some states to consider abolishing slavery. The New Jersey state legislature was the last in the north to do so, passing a law in 1804 for the gradual abolition
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
of slavery. The 1804 statute and subsequent laws freed only slaves born after the law was passed. Furthermore, African Americans born to slave parents after July 4, 1804, had to serve lengthy apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
s to the owners of their mothers. Women were freed at 21, but men were not emancipated until the age of 25. Slaves born before these laws were passed were considered "apprenticed for life."
Although at first New Jersey allowed African American men to vote, the legislature disfranchised them in 1807. In 1830 two-thirds of those enslaved in the North lived in New Jersey. It was not until 1846 that New Jersey completely abolished slavery. Although slavery was abolished in 1846 by statute ("An Act to Abolish Slavery"), it was only a name change. Former slaves were termed apprentices and were still subject to servitude to their owners. It was not until the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution officially abolished and continues to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. It was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, passed by the House on January 31, 1865, and adopted on December 6, 1865. On...
was passed that all forms of involuntary servitude were abolished in New Jersey.
There were also communities of free negro
Free Negro
A free Negro or free black is the term used prior to the abolition of slavery in the United States to describe African Americans who were not slaves. Almost all African Americans came to the United States as slaves, but from the earliest days of American slavery, slaveholders set men and women free...
s and freedmen, possibly at Dunkerhook in Paramus
Paramus, New Jersey
Paramus is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 26,342. A suburb of New York City, Paramus is located between 15–20 miles northwest of Midtown Manhattan and approximately west of Upper Manhattan.Paramus is one of...
and at the state line at Skunk Hollow.
The Civil War
A total of 2,909 "Colored Troops" served in the Union Army from New Jersey. Because of the state's long-term apprenticeship requirements, at the close of the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, however, there were still African Americans in New Jersey who remained in bondage. Although legally free, some African Americans had to stay with their former owners until the Thirteenth Amendment was finally ratified in December 1865.
In the 1860 census, free colored persons in New Jersey numbered 25,318, about 4% of the state's population of 672,035. By 1870 the number had increased to 30,658, but they now constituted a smaller percentage of the population. Overall, New Jersey's population had increased to 906,096, thanks to the addition of nearly 200,000 European immigrants.
New Jersey was not only slow to abolish slavery. It was also reluctant to pass the 13th Amendment. The state did not ratify the 13th Amendment until January 1866. Some of its industries, such as shoes and clothing, had strong markets in the South supplying planters for their slaves, which was probably a factor.
In 1875, "Jack" Jackson, who was described as the last slave in New Jersey, died at the age of 87 on the Smith family farm at Secaucus
Secaucus, New Jersey
Secaucus is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 16,264. Located within the New Jersey Meadowlands, it is the most suburban of the county's municipalities, though large parts of the town are dedicated to light manufacturing, retail, and...
. In 1820, Abel Smith, manumitted
Manumission
Manumission is the act of a slave owner freeing his or her slaves. In the United States before the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolished most slavery, this often happened upon the death of the owner, under conditions in his will.-Motivations:The...
his slaves, but Jackson refused and remained on the family estate until his death. Following the will of the late Abel Smith, he was interred in the family burial ground
Abel I. Smith Burial Ground
The Abel I. Smith Burial Ground was a family burial plot in Hudson County, New Jersey.-Location:...
.
Apology
In 2008, the New Jersey LegislatureNew Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the Senate...
acknowledged the state's role in the history of slavery in the United States.
See also
- AbolitionismAbolitionismAbolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
- American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
- Fugitive slave lawsFugitive slave lawsThe fugitive slave laws were laws passed by the United States Congress in 1793 and 1850 to provide for the return of slaves who escaped from one state into another state or territory.-Pre-colonial and Colonial eras:...
- Slave rebellionSlave rebellionA slave rebellion is an armed uprising by slaves. Slave rebellions have occurred in nearly all societies that practice slavery, and are amongst the most feared events for slaveholders...
- Slavery in Colonial AmericaSlavery in Colonial AmericaThe origins of slavery in the colonial United States are complex and there are several theories that have been proposed to explain the trade.In 1607, English settlers established Jamestown as the first permanent English colony in the New World. Tobacco became the chief crop of the colony, due to...
- Slavery in the United States
- List of Underground Railroad sites
- Bordentown SchoolBordentown SchoolThe Bordentown School , was a residential high school for African-American students, located in Bordentown in Burlington County, New Jersey...
Further reading
- Burstyn, Joan N. (editor). Past and Promise: Lives of New Jersey Women. (Syracuse, New York: Syracuse University Press, 1997). ISBN
- Price, Clement Alexander. Freedom Not Far Distant: A Documentary History of Afro-Americans in New Jersey. (Newark, New Jersey: New Jersey Historical Society, 1980). ISBN
- Snell, James P. History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey, With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers. (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1881). No ISBN (Pre-1964)
- Wright, Giles R. Afro-Americans in New Jersey (Trenton, New Jersey: Department of State, New Jersey Historical Commission, 1998). ISBN
External links
- Slavery in the North
- The Law of Slavery in New Jersey at the New Jersey Digital Legal Library.
- History of Slavery in New Jersey
- New Jersey Slave Laws Summary and Record to 1798