Like everyone else, I too did not realize how vital a role slaves served in the development, emergence, and advancement of New York. I generally learned about their stereotypical purpose in the southern area of the United States in grade school, but never about their presence here in this very state. While reading these articles, I soon realized that I was not as familiar with this topic as I once thought I was.
That being said, I was surprised to learn about the diversity of those held in captivity by the colonists. Not only were slaves imported from Africa, but they also were taken from the Caribbean in order to further increase the area’s work output. The two locations shared a commonality: a distinguishable dark pigment in the skin. Thus, this seemed like a justifiable reason for the colonists to enslave dark-skinned Spaniards as well. These “inferior” people of diverse backgrounds were just as unified as their “superiors”; whites congregated together to show mastery over another race, and blacks assembled in order to rebel (such rebellions exemplified in Foote’s Black and White Manhattan). Over time, this unity ultimately led to interracial marriages and families amongst those in the groups, continuing what the Binder and Reimers article identified as assimilation.
Elaborating on what Marinna stated, slaves served as “natural” resource for the colonies. They helped boost the production and development of the newly inhabited land, but for no personal gain. In earlier times, they would find ways to avoid these unjust consequences by converting to Catholicism; however, as the half-free population of blacks began to increase dramatically, their white masters gained control and further redefined the status of their servants. This intensification continued to escalate during the land’s transformation from New Amsterdam to New York (according to Harris’ In the Shadow of Slavery). Although legally abolished in 1827, we can still see forms of unjust servitude (a more politically correct word than “slavery”, nowadays) in our state. Like Ashley said, New York has not changed much in terms of ethnic variety. However, in addition to that fact, New York – including other former colonies – has also retained a sense of racial dominance in the working class. Many of today’s immigrants come from our international neighbor, Mexico, and will work long hours for little/no wage. Many Americans find it in their own personal interest to take advantage of the “inferior” position of the foreigners for quick economic gains.
Does history repeat itself? I think so.
