Most
New Yorkers, including many who have grown up or lived in the city most
of their lives, don't realize slavery existed here. It could be said,
in fact, that from the time of the Dutch, when it was called New Amsterdam,
virtually until the end of the American Revolution, New York City was
the slavery capital of Colonial America.
Though one city, Charleston, South Carolina, had a larger enslaved population, New York's huge, bustling
natural seaport made it the focal hub and trading center on the Eastern seaboard.
Ships from everywhere including South America, Europe, Africa,
and the West Indies, came to buy, sell, load, unload, and proceed
on.
Links to Sites on Colonial America
- Colonial America Rare Map Collection
- African American Colonial Life
- Colonial Life
- U.S. History--Colonial Cycle
Links to Sites on Charleston, South Carolina
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Brief History of South Carolina
- History of Greater Charleston
- South Carolina Historical Society
Link to South Street Seaport Museum
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