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…

Crisis Decade (1850 – 1860)

…to be cheaply produced. The Havemeyers relocated their business to Williamsburg, where they began to store and refine sugar on site and thereby retain more profit. By the late 19th century, Havemeyer joined with several other magnates to establish the Sugar Refineries Company in Brooklyn. It controlled 98% of the nation’s sugar production. By 1900, the Havemeyer Company was renamed Domino Sugar. Smith’s Brooklyn Directory. William H. Smith….

Timeline

…ad no end date for people born prior to this date, until 1817, when a further law stipulated that slavery would come to an absolute end on July 4, 1827. As long as slavery existed so did the desire to be free. During gradual emancipation (1799-1827), anti-slavery activities in Kings County fell into three broad categories: – the efforts of black people, both enslaved and indentured, to secure their own emancipation through running away, man…

A Gradual Emancipation (1783 – 1827)

…ad no end date for people born prior to this date, until 1817, when a further law stipulated that slavery would come to an absolute end on July 4, 1827. As long as slavery existed so did the desire to be free. During gradual emancipation (1799-1827), anti-slavery activities in Kings County fell into three broad categories: – the efforts of black people, both enslaved and indentured, to secure their own emancipation through running away, man…

Abolitionist Biographies

…Heights later South Brooklyn resident. James W. C. Pennington was born James Pembroke, enslaved in Maryland in 1807. By 1829, he had changed his name and settled in Brooklyn. Pennington worked at the home of Adrian Van Sinderen, president of the Brooklyn Colonization Society, while he studied at the Sabbath school in Newtown, Long Island. His education inspired a lifelong commitment to political activism and a religious awakening that led to a li…

Civil War & Beyond (1861 – 1867)

…$1,100 (or about $30,000 today) for the Colored Orphan Asylum. [Borough Hall with Montague Street on right]. 1880. Eugene L. Armbruster photographs and scrapbooks. V1974.1.1299. Brooklyn Historical Society. In 1834, the Remsen and Pierrepont families donated land for the construction of a grand City Hall to reflect Brooklyn’s new city status. After fourteen years of construction, City Hall stood tall on the edge of Brooklyn Heights. In the early…

Games

…slaveholders regularly placed advertisements for the capture of “runaways” in local newspapers. From the early 1800s on, African-Americans built strong communities with the intention of combating slavery and its legacy. A group of political reformers, known as abolitionists and anti-slavery activists, worked together to agitate for the end of slavery. These men and women, both black and white, advocated for the immediate emancipation of all ensla…

Walking Tours

…lyn’s anti-slavery pioneers — free African Americans — lived here from 1810 onwards. They built institutions to combat racism on behalf of all people of color, especially when the end of slavery in New York State in 1827 came without equality. ↗ Open map in new window BROOKLYN HEIGHTS In the 19th century, Brooklyn urbanized rapidly. What began as the small village of Brooklyn, centered around the Fulton Ferry, transformed into a bustling city. Br…