Abolitionist Brooklyn (1828 – 1849)

…rs cemented Williamsburg’s reputation as a site of anti-slavery activism. They collectively shaped its public spaces to reflect their ideals. The result was the creation of the public West India Emancipation Day celebrations, an African school, and a mobilized black community. A map of the village of Williamsburgh, Kings County, N.Y. Isaac Vieth. 1845. B A-[1845].Fl. Brooklyn Historical Society. Until 1855, Williamsburg was separate from the city…

Crisis Decade (1850 – 1860)

…Sugar Refinery. Atlantic Publishing and Engraving Company. ca. 1870. M1979.1.1. Brooklyn Historical Society. Teacher’s Manual Section 4: Lesson 13 A generation of Brooklyn industrialists, including the Pierrepont and Havemeyer families profited from the nation’s sweet tooth. In 1807, William Havemeyer, a German immigrant, opened a sugar refining business in Manhattan. Sugar was still a luxury commodity enjoyed by the city’s elite. By 1857, chang…

Timeline

…led the New-York Manumission Society, – a grassroots campaign for equality initiated by Brooklyn’s free black community. Their work was frequently met with hostility from Brooklyn’s landowners and farmers whose wealth was built on slavery. 1810 [Cover of Constitution of the Brooklyn African Woolman Benevolent Society] adopted March 16, 1810, published in 1820 by E. Worthington. Negative #85470d. Collection of The New-York Historical Society…

A Gradual Emancipation (1783 – 1827)

…rooklyn’s anti-slavery movement. Through assistance, education and faith they created an independent and strong community foundation, on which free black Brooklynites built lives of self-determination and dignity, despite significant oppression. [Cover of Constitution of the Brooklyn African Woolman Benevolent Society] adopted March 16, 1810, published in 1820 by E. Worthington. Negative #85470d. Collection of The New-York Historical Society. Tea…

Abolitionist Biographies

…as born in Virginia around 1800 and moved to Brooklyn in 1840. There, he joined the AME Church and the Brooklyn African Tompkins Society, a mutual aid organization committed to the “improvement of the members in morals and literature, by forming a library and other appropriate means.” By 1850, Cousins, his wife Sarah, and their children Emaly, Charles, and Joseph were living at 201 Jay Street. Cousins owned $1500 worth of property making him elig…

Civil War & Beyond (1861 – 1867)

On April 12, 1861, the attack on Fort Sumter marked the start of the Civil War. But conflict was not confined to the battlefields alone. By 1860, Brooklyn was the third largest city in the United States. It was home to a culturally diverse society including people of Dutch, English and African. There were also increasing numbers of German and Irish immigrants. The Irish and Black communities were among the most marginalized in American society….

Games

…man Murrows, an inventor, secured a patent for his “adjustable brush” for whitewashing and painting varnish in 1854. He is one of Brooklyn’s many African- American business owners that had to overcome many social, political, and economic obstacles to become a successful entrepreneur. Turn Verein Hall During the New York City Draft riots, African-Americans sought refuge at Turn Verein Hall, protected by German immigrants who were allied with antis…

For Educators

…s, and print propaganda Section I:
First Wave of
Anti-Slavery Activism
(1785-1834) Section I: First Wave of Anti-Slavery Activism (1785-1834) Explores Kings County, a “slaveholding capital” in the aftermath of the American Revolution. New York State’s 1799 gradual emancipation law signaled the slow death of slavery. Against this backdrop, a small but significant free black community lived in…

Walking Tours

…dow WEEKSVILLE The financial panic of 1837 halted Brooklyn’s rapid urban transformation. One year later, free black New Yorkers took advantage of low property prices to intentionally establish the community of Weeksville as a self-sufficient haven for African Americans. Located in Brooklyn’s ninth ward, Weeksville was the most distant and secluded anti-slavery base from the city’s downtown area, thus it offered safety, refuge, and freedom to its…