The New York Slave Company was created by Peter Minuit around 1627, when he bought New Amsterdam (Manhattan), New York from the indians. Most of the slaves who joined the company were Africans arriving on Spanish or Portuguese ships. Minuit sold the company to the Dutch; by 1630, there were roughly 100 men and women working for them in New Amsterdam.  The slaves sawed down trees, built roads, worked as silversmiths, carpenters, barrel repairers, turned soil to grow crops, and constructed buildings. They were also forced to learn the Dutch language and wear Dutch clothing. he Dutch Company eventually granted half-freedom to some of the slaves. This meant they could farm their own land and sell their own crops and products. The only requirements of this grant were that the workers needed to work for the company when requested and the slaves' children also worked for the company.

       Shortly after the Dutch took over the company, the British joined the slave market in 1651. The first uprising against them took place in 1712. As a result to the revolt, the British created laws harsher laws for the slaves that limited or revoked many of the slaves' half-freedom rights. 

       The first gradual emancipation was granted in 1799 freeing any child born after July 4, 1799 but the law demanded they work for their mother’s owner until the child turned 28 (for males) and 25 (for females). The next law was passed in 1817 stating that any slave born before 1799 would be granted complete freedom. Many slaves who were serving in the military were also released and given their freedom. Others achieved their freedom in exchange for being in military. The slave population was drastically reduced in New York. 

       Most of the Revolutionary leaders who came to power in New York in 1781 had anti-slavery opinions, and they created a policy statement and an appeal to future legislatures to abolish slavery in the most effective way that keeps the public safe.  This bill passed in the state constitutional convention by a vote of 29 to 5. Slavery was finally abolished in New York in 1827, when the law of 1799 came into effect. 

 

 

New York Slave Company