Episode 405: African Americans in Early New York City

When we think of slavery in Early America, we often think about the plantations and economies of the South. But did you know that slavery was also deeply entrenched in New York City?

Did you know that Africans and African Americans helped New York City confront slavery, freedom, and racism in the Early American Republic and Antebellum periods?

Leslie M. Harris, a professor at Northwestern University and author of In the Shadow of Slavery: African Americans in New York City, 1626-1863, joins us to explore the history of Africans and African Americans in early New York City.

About the Show

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Episode Summary

Leslie M. Harris is a historian and professor of history at Northwestern University. She specializes in African American history, urban studies, and the impact of slavery in the North, particularly in New York City. She joins to explore the African American history of early New York City with details from her book, In the Shadow of Slavery African Americans in New York City, 1626-1863.

During our exploration, Leslie reveals the arrival of Africans in New Amsterdam and the early history of slavery in New York City. The contributions Africans and African Americans made to the construction and development of New York City. And the journey New York City and New York State took to end slavery.

What You’ll Discover

Slavery in early New York City
Slave societies vs. societies with slavery
Early New York City as a British slave hub
Early New York’s enslaved and free Black communities
Half-freedom status granted by the Dutch
Different ways Africans and African Americans built early New York City
Black New Yorkers’ contributions to the American Revolution
Black life in post-Revolution New York City
New York’s Gradual Emancipation Law, 1799
New York Manumission Society, 1785
Process of gradual emancipation
New York Emancipation Law, 1827
Pinpointing the end of slavery in New York City
The end of slavery in New Jersey
Black life in New York after slavery ends
Limited freedom in early New York City

Links to People, Places, and Publications

Time Warp Question

What if the New York Manumission Society had aggressively pursued immediate emancipation instead of gradual emancipation? How might this have altered the socio-economic landscape of New York City?