Slavery in New York

Slavery is not something that is talked about much when considering New York. It is often ignored when studying the history of slavery in the United States. However, New York had some of the earliest examples starting with the Dutch Settlements in 17th century. While Dutch Settlements allowed for the idea of “freed men”, subsequent English settlements did not entertain that possibility. These people were bonded till their death to their masters. Even when they died, they were very often buried on the outskirts of the city which encompassed the lower tip of the Manhattan Island. One such burial ground was discovered downtown when plans for the construction of a federal building where made in a plot of land. Realizing the historical significance of the area, it was honored and named the African Burial Ground.

Despite being New York viewed as the tolerant city, hate crimes against African American slaves happened quite frequently during the middle of the 19th century during the draft riots and Civil war. There was fear and anger towards these groups of people as they were feared as replacements for the small number of jobs that were available. One of the prominent examples of a hate crime in the city happened during the draft riots when an orphanage for African American children was burned down by the mob.

Although we notice an ethnic diversity today that is not often seen anywhere else, New York has had its fair share of hatred and prejudice towards a certain group of people.