Resources
Further Learning
Gradual Abolition in New YorkSlavery in New York - New York Historical Society
Digital Companion to the New York Historical Society's Landmark Exhibit
An Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery, 1799 - New York State Archives
Learning Activity with Digital Reproduction of the Original Document
New York Slavery Records Index - John Jay College of Criminal Justice
A Searchable Index of Records that Identify Enslaved People in New York, from 1525 through the Civil War
New York City's Slave Market - Sylviane Diouf, New York Public Library
Blog Post Detailing NYC's Major Slave Market, with a Bibliography
Colonial White Women
Female Laborers at Harvard - Alicia DeMaio, Colonial North America at Harvard Library
Blog Post Using Digitized Primary Sources to Tell Stories about Working Class Women
Women and the American Story: Settler Colonialism and the Revolution, 1692-1783 - New York Historical Society
Detailed Educational Curriculum with Rich Supplementary Materials
Women and Children in Colonial America - National Geographic Resource Library
Simple to Digest Encyclopedia-Style Guide to Colonial Gender Roles
Colonial Jewish Lives
Encyclopedia Judaica: New York City - Jewish Virtual Library
Detailed History of Jewish New York City, from the Dutch Colonial Period through the Civil War
Our History - Congregation Shearith Israel
History of America's First Jewish Congregation, of which Moses Judah was a Member
George Washington and his Letter to the Jews of Newport - Touro Synagogue National Historic Site
Deep dive into the context and content of George Washington's letter to Rhode Island's Jewish community
Religious Pluralism in the Middle Colonies - Patricia U. Bonomi, National Humanities Center
History and Teachers Guide of Religious Pluralism, Including Judaism
Colonial Black Lives
Black New Yorkers: Slavery and Freedom - Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Essay and Digital Exhibit Exploring Black Life in New York from its Earliest Days, with 85 Digitized Primary Source Documents
The 1619 Project, History of Slavery - Mary Elliott and Jazmine Hughes, The New York Times
Detailed History, Illustrated with Primary Sources and Personal Stories of Black Lives
Examination Days: The New York African Free School Collection - New York Historical Society
Site with Interactive Tools Sharing the History of the New York African Free School and The Community It Supported
18th Century Headwraps for African American Women in North America - Not Your Momma's History
Video Presentation from Black Costumed Historical Reenacter Cheyney Mcknight demonstrating Black women's hair wrapping in Colonial North America, with research and insight from Fashion Scholar Jonathan Square
Slavery and Freedom in New York, excerpted from Gateway to Freedom: The Hidden History of the Underground Railroad - Eric Foner
Chapter length excerpt tracing history of enslaved Black people and emancipation in New York from Famed Historian
Maroon Communities in the Americas - Slavery and Remembrance, Colonial Williamsburg
Short Entry Describing Self-Determined Communities of African Descendants in the Americas
New York Slave Conspiracy (1741) - Claudia Sutherland, BlackPast
Short Blog Post Detailing Organized Self-Emancipation Attempt in Colonial New York
African Americans in the Revolutionary War - Oxford African American Studies Center
Photo Essay with Detailed Bibliography, List of Notable Figures, and Links to Primary Sources
Slavery in Colonial North America - Teresa McCulla, Colonial North America at Harvard Library
Blog Post Telling Stories of Enslaved Peoples Using Digitized Primary Source Material
Image Citations
Main Page
HeaderLionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division, The New York Public Library. "The Country twenty five miles round New York" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 28, 2020. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47da-ee36-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
Background (used throughout site)
Feldtrappe, Frédéric Etienne Joseph. Traite des Nègres (The Slave Trade). early 19th century. Cotton, roller printed. 101 × 33 in. (256.5 × 83.8 cm). Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/221809
Slavery, Indenture, and Freedom in New York
HeaderJennings, Samuel. Study For Liberty Displaying the Arts and Sciences, or The Genius of America Encouraging the Emancipation of the Blacks. 1791-92. Oil on canvas, 10 3/4 × 12 1/2 in. (27.3 × 31.8 cm). Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/708024
White Women's Lives in Colonial New York
Unknown artist. Catherina Elmendorf. Oil on canvas. 50 x 40 in. (127 x 101.6 cm). Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/19022Black Life in Colonial New York
Luria, Adam, dir. Secrets of the Dead. Season 18, episode 1, “The Woman in the Iron Coffin: African American History in New York.” Public Broadcasting Service. https://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/african-american-history-in-new-york-city/3952/.Duane, Anne Mae and Thomas Thurston. “Black Life in New York City 1785-1835.” Examination Days: The New York African Free School Collection. New York Historical Society. Accessed May 28, 2020. https://www.nyhistory.org/web/africanfreeschool/map/index.html