Abolitionist Brooklyn (1828 – 1849)

…The national conventions met a total of twelve times between 1831 and 1864. Abolitionism in Black and White “The Liberator Commenced January 1st 1831.” Cotton banner by unknown maker, [1840s]. Massachusetts Historical Society. Teacher’s Manual Section 2: Lesson 7 | Lesson 8 In the 1830s, the abolitionists, a group of humanitarian reformers, burst onto the political scene in the United States. On December 4, 1833, sixty-two reformers m…

Crisis Decade (1850 – 1860)

…other organizations – a Committee of Nine in Brooklyn and Committee of Five in Williamsburg. In 1851, all three committees worked together on the high profile Christiana Patriots Case. When fugitives in Christiana, Pennsylvania killed the slave catcher that had come to arrest them, they were charged with treason, riot and murder. Vigilance committees in New York and Brooklyn raised funds for the defendants. Walt Whitman. ca. 1860. Thomas N. Schro…

Timeline

…over 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. Teacher’s Manual Section 1: Lesson 6 A small, but significant, free black community lived in the areas now known as DUMBO and Vinegar Hill. They pioneered Brooklyn’s anti-slavery movement through grassroots efforts. In 1810, Brooklynites Peter Croger,…

A Gradual Emancipation (1783 – 1827)

…over 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. Teacher’s Manual Section 1: Lesson 6 A small, but significant, free black community lived in the areas now known as DUMBO and Vinegar Hill. They pioneered Brooklyn’s anti-slavery movement through grassroots efforts. In 1810, Brooklynites Peter Croger,…

Abolitionist Biographies

…n 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 eligible to vote. Cousins fundraised for various anti-sl…

Civil War & Beyond (1861 – 1867)

…2, 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. They often…

Games

…tional information. Drag the circles to their proper locations on the map. Havemeyer, Townsend & Co. Sugar Refinery Havemeyer,Townsend & Co. Sugar Refinery opened on the Williamsburg Waterfront in 1856. Sugar was the largest luxury commodity to emerge from Brooklyn that relied on the labor of enslaved people. Freeman Murrows Freeman Murrows, an inventor, secured a patent for his “adjustable brush” for whitewashing and painting varnish in…

For Educators

…t;br /> (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 the village of Brooklyn –located within the same named town of Brooklyn. Here they charter…

Walking Tours

…on. 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 residents. ↗ Open map in new window WILLIAMSBURG In recent years, Williamsburg has ex…