African Burial Ground

Elliot:

Slavery in NYC

• 1626 - First slaves brought by DWIC to New Netherland
• Eventually slaves were given partial freedoms and farm land by Dutch (now under NYU)
• 1664 - British takeover of New Netherland -- renamed New York
• Rescinded slaves' freedoms granted by Dutch
• Banned burial of blacks within the city
• Whites buried more near Trinity Church area (where the city was)
• ABG is outside of city limits, outskirts
• 1703 - slave labor markets emerged
• >50% of NY homes had about 2 African slaves
• Harsh conditions
• Beatings
• Other restrictive conditions
• 1776 - American Revolution
• Slaves offered freedom in exchange for military service
• British offered
• Lost war, so poor choice for slaves, not granted freedom
• Fought oppressors
• Colonists offered
• Some gained freedom, others did not
• 1780 - Blacks to NYC
• African Americans in NYC had more freedoms than those in the south
• ~30% of blacks were free in NYC
• 1799 - NYC passes emancipation law
• Slave children freedom 
• Males: 28 yrs old
• Females: 25 yrs old
• 1827 - slaves in NYC were now free, but it was difficult for them to find jobs/education/etc
• *death of Beethoven on March 26th
• 1863 - draft lottery during Civil War, Robert E. Lee (after whom Fort Lee is named)
• New Yorkers opposed draft
• Irish firemen
• Set fire to building
• Riot aimed at African-Americans
• 1900's - African-Americans to Harlem
• Little social mobility
• Harlem was thriving with musical talent, show business, culture
• Increase in black population was due to southern blacks moving to NYC

The history of African-Americans in New York City consists of 400 years of flip-flopping between servitude and freedom. Today, we are going to trace the fictionalized lineage of Simon Congo, an African taken from his home in the Congo, Africa by the Dutch West India Company and brought against his will to New Netherland around 1626. Simon worked hard in this new land and was eventually granted partial freedoms by the Dutch and was given land for farming in the area we now call Washington Square Park, the heart of NYU. Simon was raising his family on this land in 1664 when the British took over New Amsterdam, changed the name to New York, and rescinded many of Simon’s newly found freedoms. In addition, the British banned black burial within the city limits, paving the way for the start of the burial ground we’re standing on today.

By 1703, Simon’s children and grandchildren were part of the New York slave labor market and worked in wealthy white families’ homes in New York City. More than 50% of New York homes had up to 2 African slaves. Conditions were very bad for these slaves, which included brutal beatings and other restrictive conditions.

By the time of the Revolutionary War in 1776, Simon’s great-grandchildren were offered freedom in exchange for military service. Initially, the British offered American slaves freedom in exchange for serving in their army to fight their oppressors. However, Washington also offered African-Americans a chance to fight in the colonists’ army in exchange for freedom. When the war came to an end and the British were kicked out, life was not good for blacks serving in the British army. Luckily, Simon’s descendants chose to fight for the colonists and gained their freedom.

Blacks tried to flock to New York from the South by 1780 hoping to gain the freedoms African-Americans enjoyed in New York City. By that time, 30% of the African-American population was free in New York City. In 1799, New York passed its first emancipation law which gave freedom to slave children but not until males reached the age of 28 and females reached the age of 25.

By 1827, all of Simon’s descendents were free blacks in New York City. However, their lives were still hard with limited opportunities for education or for work and a high amount of racism across the diverse population of New York City.

Just 36 years later, with another generation of Simon’s descendents living in New York City working anywhere they can and living in cramped city conditions, times were still difficult. On the brink of the Civil War with General Robert E. Lee advancing to the Pennsylvania border, New York enacted a draft lottery to rebuild its troops. Many New Yorkers opposed this lottery, especially the Irish firemen. In a showdown in July, the Irish firemen set fire to a big building in New York and prompted a week long violent riot aimed at African-Americans. Many African-Americans were killed or took shelter in the police station or with other ethnic groups that were protecting them.

Following the violent riots, Simon’s descendents moved far to the Upper West Side of Manhattan, which became a haven and a center of African-American musical talent, show business, and culture. By 1900, continued racism and a huge influx of Eastern European immigrants to New York City pushed Simon’s descendents even farther North to the area we now call Harlem. African-Americans experienced little social mobility in New York and the large increase in the African-American population was primarily due to southern blacks moving to New York to escape difficult laws in the South. They were hoping for a better life in New York City. Simon’s descendents continue to flourish today, where they’ve moved outside New York City to the suburbs and beyond and have attended elite private schools like the Dwight-Englewood School and have gone to prestigious universities.

Photo courtesy: http://maap.columbia.edu/place/22

Bibliography: 

"African Burial Ground National Monument." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Oct. 2015. Web. 03 Nov. 2015. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Burial_Ground_National_Monument>.

Homberger, Eric. "African-Americans in New York." The Historical Atlas of New York City: A Visual Celebration of Nearly 400 Years of New York City's History. New York: H. Holt, 1994. 44-45. Print.

Moore, Christopher. "New York's Seventeenth-Century African Burial Ground in History." (n.d.): n. pag. National Park Service. Web. 28 Oct. 2015. <http://www.nps.gov/afbg/learn/historyculture/upload/Chris-Moore.pdf>.
"Slavery in New York." Slavery in New York. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2015. <http://www.slaveryinnewyork.org/history.htm>.