History of slavery in New York
Encyclopedia
Slavery in New York was instituted when the New Amsterdam
fur trading-post developed into a farming colony in the 17th century; the first African slaves were imported by the Dutch West Indies Company to New Amsterdam
in 1626. It persisted until the culmination of an early 19th century program of gradual abolition
, on July 4, 1827.
state of New York
began in 1626, when a shipment of 11 Africans was unloaded into New Amsterdam
harbor by a ship that belonged to the Dutch West India Company
. Before this time, the company had attempted to encourage Dutch agricultural laborers to immigrate to and populate New Netherlands. This experiment was unsuccessful, as most immigrants wanted to accrue a sizable income in the fur trade
and return to their home country in luxury.
The company turned to slavery, which was already well established in the Dutch colonies in the Caribbean, Southeast Asia
, and Southern Africa
. For more than two decades after the first shipment, the Dutch West India Company was dominant in the importation of slaves from the coasts of West
and Central Africa
. While the majority of shipments went to the Dutch colonies in the Caribbean, a number of slaves were imported directly from the company's stations in Angola
to New Netherlands to clear the forests, lay the roads, and provide other public services to the colony.
The lack of private settlers in the colony led to the company's over-dependence on slaves. While the slaves laid the foundations of the future New York, they were described by the Dutch as "proud and treacherous", a stereotype for African-born slaves. The Dutch West India Company relaxed its monopoly and allowed New Netherlanders to ship slaves back to Angola. They began to import more numerous "seasoned" slaves from the sugar colonies of the Caribbean.
By 1644, some slaves had earned a half-freedom in New Amsterdam and were able to earn wages. According to the principle of partus sequitur ventrem, the children born to enslaved women were born into slavery, regardless of the ethnicity of the father.
's households held slaves, a percentage higher than in the cities of Boston
and Philadelphia, and second only to Charleston
in the South.
In 1991, the remains of 400 Africans from the colonial era were uncovered during excavation for the Foley Square Courthouse in Lower Manhattan
. Construction was delayed so the site and some of the remains could be appropriately evaluated by archeologists and anthropologists. Scholars have estimated that 15,000 to 20,000 enslaved Africans and African Americans were buried during the 17th and 18th centuries in the cemetery in lower Manhattan. The African Burial Ground has been designated as a National Historic Landmark
and a National Monument
for its significance. A memorial and interpretive center for the African Burial Ground have been created to honor those buried and to explore the many contributions of African-American descendants to New York and the nation.
. Many chose to fight for the British, as they were promised freedom in exchange. After the British occupied New York City in 1774, slaves escaped to their lines for freedom. The black population in New York grew to 10,000 and the city became a center of their community. The Treaty of Paris (1783)
required that all American property including slaves be left in place, but a joint board of enquiry at Fraunces Tavern failed to find evidence of enslavement for most of the Negroes who had fought in the King's cause. The Book of Negroes
lists the 3,000 Black Loyalist
s who left with the British in 1783 to resettle in England, Nova Scotia
(now Maritime Canada) and other parts of the British Empire
. A large group of these Black Britons moved on from Nova Scotia to create a colony in Sierra Leone
(the ancestors of the Sierra Leone Creole people
to escape discrimination in Canada.
In the aftermath of the Revolution, men examined the institution of slavery against the rights of men they had fought for. In 1781, the state legislature voted to manumit slavery for men who fought with the rebels during the Revolution. Further action toward abolition took longer, but manumission
was made easier. By 1790 one in three blacks in New York was free. They began to organize a separate community, with churches, benevolent organizations and businesses.
Steps toward abolition of slavery accumulated, but the state also took steps back as society wavered in its commitment to freedom and rights for all persons. In 1799, the legislature passed a law for gradual abolition. It required African Americans born after the legislation to serve long apprenticeship
s to young adulthood before gaining full freedom.
African-American defense of the state during the War of 1812
added to public support for their freedom. In 1817, the state provided for abolition of all slavery by 1827. On July 4, 1827, the African-American community celebrated emancipation
with a long parade through the city. Black children, for example those of Sojourner Truth
's, had to stay in apprenticeship
until they came of age.
The reformed Constitution of 1821 withdrew suffrage
for free blacks and disfranchised most African-American men (no women had the vote.) They would not recover the vote until years later.
, 49,005 free colored lived in New York state, out of a total population of 3,880,735. The state's population was being rapidly transformed by waves of new European immigrants from the 1840s on, including the Irish
and Germans
.
consisted mostly of Irish immigrants
and their descendants attacking African Americans. The Irish resented being drafted, and did not want to fight in the war, as they saw it, on behalf of people with whom they were competing for wages in low-skilled jobs. Many African Americans from New York served with the Union Army
to defeat the Confederacy
.
By 1870, the African-American population in New York had increased slightly, to 52,081. The state's population had grown markedly to 4,382,759, of which more than one million were foreign born. Many of the new immigrants were concentrated in and around New York City.
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....
fur trading-post developed into a farming colony in the 17th century; the first African slaves were imported by the Dutch West Indies Company 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....
in 1626. It persisted until the culmination of an early 19th century program of 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...
, on July 4, 1827.
Dutch rule
Chattel slavery in the geographical area of the present-day U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
began in 1626, when a shipment of 11 Africans was unloaded into 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....
harbor by a ship that belonged to the Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company
Dutch West India Company was a chartered company of Dutch merchants. Among its founding fathers was Willem Usselincx...
. Before this time, the company had attempted to encourage Dutch agricultural laborers to immigrate to and populate New Netherlands. This experiment was unsuccessful, as most immigrants wanted to accrue a sizable income in the fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
and return to their home country in luxury.
The company turned to slavery, which was already well established in the Dutch colonies in the Caribbean, Southeast Asia
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
, and Southern Africa
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
. For more than two decades after the first shipment, the Dutch West India Company was dominant in the importation of slaves from the coasts of West
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
and Central Africa
Central Africa
Central Africa is a core region of the African continent which includes Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....
. While the majority of shipments went to the Dutch colonies in the Caribbean, a number of slaves were imported directly from the company's stations in Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
to New Netherlands to clear the forests, lay the roads, and provide other public services to the colony.
The lack of private settlers in the colony led to the company's over-dependence on slaves. While the slaves laid the foundations of the future New York, they were described by the Dutch as "proud and treacherous", a stereotype for African-born slaves. The Dutch West India Company relaxed its monopoly and allowed New Netherlanders to ship slaves back to Angola. They began to import more numerous "seasoned" slaves from the sugar colonies of the Caribbean.
By 1644, some slaves had earned a half-freedom in New Amsterdam and were able to earn wages. According to the principle of partus sequitur ventrem, the children born to enslaved women were born into slavery, regardless of the ethnicity of the father.
English rule
The English took over New Amsterdam and the colony in 1664. They continued to import slaves to support the work needed. Enslaved Africans performed a wide variety of skilled and unskilled jobs, mostly in the burgeoning port city and surrounding agricultural areas. In 1703 more than 42% of New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's households held slaves, a percentage higher than in the cities of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and Philadelphia, and second only to Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
in the South.
In 1991, the remains of 400 Africans from the colonial era were uncovered during excavation for the Foley Square Courthouse in Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan
Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York...
. Construction was delayed so the site and some of the remains could be appropriately evaluated by archeologists and anthropologists. Scholars have estimated that 15,000 to 20,000 enslaved Africans and African Americans were buried during the 17th and 18th centuries in the cemetery in lower Manhattan. The African Burial Ground has been designated as a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
and a National Monument
National monument
A National monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of national importance such as a war or the country's founding. The term may also refer to a specific monument status, such as a National Heritage Site, which most national monuments are by reason of their cultural...
for its significance. A memorial and interpretive center for the African Burial Ground have been created to honor those buried and to explore the many contributions of African-American descendants to New York and the nation.
American Revolution
African Americans fought on both sides in 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...
. Many chose to fight for the British, as they were promised freedom in exchange. After the British occupied New York City in 1774, slaves escaped to their lines for freedom. The black population in New York grew to 10,000 and the city became a center of their community. The Treaty of Paris (1783)
Treaty of Paris (1783)
The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, ended the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain on the one hand and the United States of America and its allies on the other. The other combatant nations, France, Spain and the Dutch Republic had separate agreements; for details of...
required that all American property including slaves be left in place, but a joint board of enquiry at Fraunces Tavern failed to find evidence of enslavement for most of the Negroes who had fought in the King's cause. The Book of Negroes
Book of Negroes
The Book of Negroes is an important historical document which records names and descriptions of 3,000 African-American slaves who escaped to the British lines during the American Revolution and were evacuated by the British by ship to points in Nova Scotia as freedmen.-Background:African Americans...
lists the 3,000 Black Loyalist
Black Loyalist
A Black Loyalist was an inhabitant of British America of African descent who joined British colonial forces during the American Revolutionary War...
s who left with the British in 1783 to resettle in England, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
(now Maritime Canada) and other parts of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
. A large group of these Black Britons moved on from Nova Scotia to create a colony in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
(the ancestors of the Sierra Leone Creole people
Sierra Leone Creole people
The Sierra Leone Creoles, or Krios, are an ethnic group in Sierra Leone, descendants of West Indian slaves from the Caribbean, primarily from Jamaica; freed African American slaves from the Thirteen Colonies resettled from Nova Scotia; and Liberated Africans from various parts of Africa...
to escape discrimination in Canada.
In the aftermath of the Revolution, men examined the institution of slavery against the rights of men they had fought for. In 1781, the state legislature voted to manumit slavery for men who fought with the rebels during the Revolution. Further action toward abolition took longer, but manumission
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...
was made easier. By 1790 one in three blacks in New York was free. They began to organize a separate community, with churches, benevolent organizations and businesses.
Steps toward abolition of slavery accumulated, but the state also took steps back as society wavered in its commitment to freedom and rights for all persons. In 1799, the legislature passed a law for gradual abolition. It required African Americans born after the legislation to serve long 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 young adulthood before gaining full freedom.
African-American defense of the state during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
added to public support for their freedom. In 1817, the state provided for abolition of all slavery by 1827. On July 4, 1827, the African-American community celebrated emancipation
Emancipation
Emancipation means the act of setting an individual or social group free or making equal to citizens in a political society.Emancipation may also refer to:* Emancipation , a champion Australian thoroughbred racehorse foaled in 1979...
with a long parade through the city. Black children, for example those of Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth
Sojourner Truth was the self-given name, from 1843 onward, of Isabella Baumfree, an African-American abolitionist and women's rights activist. Truth was born into slavery in Swartekill, New York, but escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826. After going to court to recover her son, she...
's, had to stay in apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
until they came of age.
The reformed Constitution of 1821 withdrew suffrage
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
for free blacks and disfranchised most African-American men (no women had the vote.) They would not recover the vote until years later.
Civil War
According to the 1860 census, on the verge 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...
, 49,005 free colored lived in New York state, out of a total population of 3,880,735. The state's population was being rapidly transformed by waves of new European immigrants from the 1840s on, including the Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
.
Abolition in New York
The 1863 New York Draft RiotsNew York Draft Riots
The New York City draft riots were violent disturbances in New York City that were the culmination of discontent with new laws passed by Congress to draft men to fight in the ongoing American Civil War. The riots were the largest civil insurrection in American history apart from the Civil War itself...
consisted mostly of Irish immigrants
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
and their descendants attacking African Americans. The Irish resented being drafted, and did not want to fight in the war, as they saw it, on behalf of people with whom they were competing for wages in low-skilled jobs. Many African Americans from New York served with the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
to defeat the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
.
By 1870, the African-American population in New York had increased slightly, to 52,081. The state's population had grown markedly to 4,382,759, of which more than one million were foreign born. Many of the new immigrants were concentrated in and around New York City.
External links
- Slavery in New York
- Slavery in New York, an exhibition by the New-York Historical SocietyNew-York Historical SocietyThe New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library located in New York City at the corner of 77th Street and Central Park West in Manhattan. Founded in 1804 as New York's first museum, the New-York Historical Society presents exhibitions, public programs and research that...
- "The Hidden History of Slavery in New York", The NationThe NationThe Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, 5 Nov 2007 - "Slavery in New York", PBS Interview
- Slavery In Mamaroneck Township