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The state legislature in Albany is prepared to issue a formal apology for the historic practice of slavery and will be the first northern state in the Union to do so. Several states on the Confederate side of the Civil War have already issued similar apologies. Albany lawmakers are pushing to pass the resolution in time for "Juneteenth", which is an unofficial holiday celebrating the June 19th arrival of federal troops in Texas to announce the final eradication of slavery from the United States and its territories in 1865.
New York State actually outlawed slavery in 1827, but New York City was a reluctant supporter of the Civil War, as its trade-based economy was heavily invested in the slave-based production of cotton in the South. Even prior to state abolition of the practice, New York City once had the highest concentration of slave ownership among all American cities, except for Charleston, South Carolina. Much of early lower Manhattan, including the original Trinity Church was built using slave labor. The New York Historical Society presented a comprehensive review of New York City's involvement with slavery last year.
After the American Revolution, New York and New Jersey were alone among northern states in not abolishing slavery. Then-Governor Morris and John Jay attempted to insert a clause into the founding state constitution suggesting the eventual elimination of slavery, but were rebuffed. Almost a decade later, a political coalition including members of different parties, Gov. Clinton (owning eight slaves), Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay (owning five slaves), along with prominent abolitionists formed a group to urge state abolition of the institution of slavery in New York. The practice of slavery became gradually restricted in following years, but in 1788 the group pressed to have the deportation of New York slaves to southern states outlawed, as many slaveholders worried about continued limitations tried to unload their human inventory to southern plantation owners. The port of New York, however, remained open to slave-trading ships. In 1786 40% of all households within ten miles of New York were slave owners and more than two-thirds of Brooklyn households owned slaves.
The state legislature is beating the City Council to the punch on an official apology, as several Councilmembers proposed the same back in April. It's probably good to let the State take the lead, as farming-intensive counties like Kings, Richmond, and Ulster, none of which were part of NYC at the time, were the biggest opponents of abolition. It's an ugly chapter in New York's history. Juneteenth certainly seems like one of the most celebration-worthy holidays that could appear on the city's calendar.
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Ulster county was never part of NYC to begin with?
it's up in the Hudson Valley.
http://www.imsorryalsharpton.com/
Yes, none of those counties were part of NYC at the time. Richmond and Kings Counties are part of NYC now. Ulster County is located in the Hudson Valley, north of New York City. Thanks for that point of information to readers unfamiliar with the region.
From: www.TolerancePark.org
At the start of the New York Historical Society’s exhibit called “Slavery in New York” which opened on October 7, 2005, and was made a permanent exhibit in The Henry Luce III Center for the Study of American Culture, it was stated that, in 1664, “New Amsterdam was a slave-built colonial outpost…and that enslaved Africans built whatever New Amsterdam needed; a wall and a fort to protect against native people and rival English colonies.”
At the end of the exhibit, in the “Visitor Respond Booth” where visitors could leave their comments on video about the NYHS exhibit, the refrain was; “I didn’t know that Wall Street was built by slaves.”
HERE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT WALL STREET
[Volume 5, folio 120ff., Council Minutes]
20 April 1653.
First, it is decided, upon hearing the unexpected [rumors], that the citizens, without exception, shall work on the constructions undertaken jointly for the defense of this city-by immediately digging a ditch from the East River to the North River, 4 to 5 feet deep and 11 to 12 feet wide, sloping inward slightly toward the bottom.
Secondly, that the carpenters shall be urged to prepare jointly the stake perimeter.
Thirdly, that the soldiers and other servants of the Company, together with the free Negroes, no one excepted, shall complete the work on the fort by constructing a breastwork, and the farmers are to be summoned to haul the sod.
Fourthly, that the sawyers shall immediately begin to saw some planks of four inches' thickness for [gun carriages] or platforms.
It is further resolved that a deputation be sent to Virginia; also, that attempts be made to obtain a barkload of salt from there for the use of the inhabitants here. Fiscal Tienhoven is appointed thereto on behalf of the Company, and the mayors and schepens are asked to send along one of their people, which they will consider at their next meeting and then give an answer.
[121][Upon the written and verbal propositions made by the director-general jointly to the council, the mayors and the schepens, the aforesaid director-general and council and the] magistrates of this city, resolved: that according to the former resolution of 15 March, first and above all, the city of New Amsterdam shall be enclosed all around by joint work and placed in a proper state of defense, in order to repulse a sudden attack, and that then the fort be taken in hand and repaired. In order to do this in the best and quickest manner, it is further re-solved by the director-general and council that the citizens and inhabitants, together with the craftsmen and laborers shall in general assist, either in person or, if they can afford it, by other suitable substitutes, and not stop work until it is completed; and [put it] in such a state of defense that the good inhabitants of this city, with their wives, children and property may be protected against a sudden assault and incursion, which God may mercifully prevent. And, in order that the whole work may be done and performed in a better manner and order, and that the aforesaid director-general and council and the mayors and schepens may have a supervision of its being done well and properly, it is resolved and decided that we go to work in teams; namely, that one fourth part of all the inhabitants, either citizens, merchants, farmers or sailors and skippers, whether already here or arrived hereafter, shall be [122] [employed on the aforesaid work for three consecutive days, as they shall be directed and ordered by the aforesaid director-general and council, mayors and schepens, either jointly] or individually under penalty of 25 Carolus guilders, to be imposed on those who for the first time oppose the orders and resolutions made in joint session of the director-general and council and the magistrates, and do not obey generally or individually the commands of one of the aforesaid council or magistrates; if anyone is unwilling and disobedient a second time, he shall lose his rights as citizen, and if upon a third summons he remains obstinate and unwilling, he shall be punished arbitrarily and banished from the province. In order to prevent excuses and dissatisfaction, it is further resolved that the director-general, council and the aforesaid magistrates shall not only be and re-main the managers of the work, but each of them shall also, according to his means, send a man to work at his own expense. The same order is to apply to the subordinate officers of the honorable Company, none excepted; and the free Negroes, who shall go to work with their fourth part upon their section of the aforesaid construction and continue until it is completed, are subject to like penalties as above. Concerning the first, second and third point it is further resolved that no [123] ships, barks nor any person [shall he allowed to leave within the period of 14 days or three weeks, when the director-general and his council and the magistrates hope to have completed the aforesaid work and to have made it defendable, provided it is commenced and continued with courage and zeal. In case it is completed sooner, the director-general and council will issue another order concerning the earlier departure of ships, barks and persons. Thus done and enacted in joint session with the mayors and schepens by the director-general and council at New Amsterdam, 12 May 1653.]
P. Stuyvesant
La Montagne
Brian Newton
Cor. van Tienhoven
Arent van Hattem
P.L. van die Grift
Will. Beeckman
Pieter Wolfersen
Maximlianus van Gheel
Allard Anthony
Lesson: Using rhetoric based on secondary information mostly based on storytelling and personal opinions instead of scholarship misleads the public. Yes, it draws crowds and raises revenues for the exhibit however at the expense of knowing and understanding history.
WTF? ^
I see lots of racist south afrikunts/smellie africunts and or Dutch who were the real racist South AfriCunts on that list.
your mother is a rhetoric.
Trinity Church has not only issued an explicit apology for it's involvemnt in the institution of slavery, they have also set up an extensive program of reparations that will assist in the development of programs to hlep the African American members of the Episcopal diocese to gain a foothold in American society on a social and economic basis.
Ron Gross/Founder
Friends of Alexander Hamilton & Descendants Committee &
Cursillo #86
apologizing for the deeds of your ancestors - you're all out of your cotton pickin minds!
I know where to stuff that cotton, sir.
too bad it wasn't done to your mother before she had you.
REPARATIONS NOW!!!
RIGHT NOW!!!
PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS.
I also think that apologising for your ancestors is a waste of time. When you think about it, someday in the future, it could be that those people then will be horrified that we allowed the unborn to be murdered and will make public apologies on our behalf.
While I think that these "feel good" apologies are an exercise in the absurd, still, it should have been the yankee States to start the apology parade because they were the ones who were the financial backbone of the slave trade, they treated their slaves far worse than did those in the South as they continued to do to the freed Negro once slavery was abolished.
Jimmy L. Shirley Jr.
Palm Springs, Florida