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Slavery-Early Settlers N.Y

This information clearly establishes the fact that the first slave labor was introduced by the very early settlers of what is now New York state. I find that account also gives insight into how the early slaves were treated.

“Enforced Labor-It has been noted that slavery was introduced on the mainland of America by the Dutch, in the sense at least that a vessel of that nationality sold to the planters at Jamestown, Virginia, a number of negro slaves in 1619.”

“One of the earliest promises held out to prospective settlers in New Amsterdam by the West India Company was that s sufficient number of negro slaves would be furnished to the settlers. The institution of slavery existed all through Dutch and English days, and even after New York became a state.”

“Slaves, however were not held in large number as in the southern colonies nor where they provided with separate quarters. They ordinarily slept in the attics or upper stories of the houses of their masters and ate their meals in the kitchen after their master and his family had finished. They were in a sense regarded as members of the family group and the farmer who owned one or two worked in the fields alongside of them, much as the small farmers works with his hired men.”

“On the whole their owners treated them with kindness and did not have unlimited power over them in the way of punishment. They were flogged of course on occasion, but that was a form of punishment meted out to others also. The Dutch in particular had the repute of treating their black dependents with humanity.”

“During the seventeenth century the value of a negro was about one hundred dollars in our money, and of a negress about two hundred dollars. The traffic began to decline in 1718 and in 1755 there were but seventy-three African slaves in the county of Westchester, (N.Y.). When it was pretty certain that slavery was to be abolished in the State many of those who owned slaves sent them into the Southern States for sale, so that there would be no loss of property or money. The plan of freeing slaves was one of gradual manumission, and the last slave held in New York State was one belonging to the Morris family-this about 1827.”

“Indians were also reduced to a condition of slavery in the early days of the colony, but the Indian has never shown himself greatly addicted to hard manual labor – that being left to his squaw.” (Page 156)

The information above was obtained from “The Bronx and Its People-A History, Volumes I, II, III” An electronic copy of the book originally published 1927, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1378 pages. ©2005 Han-Ack Publishing Co.

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