Abolitionist Brooklyn (1828 – 1849)

…s were Irish immigrants, transplants from new England, descendants of the early Dutch and English settlers, and free African Americans. Though racial prejudice and discrimination were widespread, this diverse community of early Brooklynites lived in close quarters, inhabiting the same streets and public spaces. They lived in neighborhoods that are known today as Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO and Vinegar Hill. [70 Willow Street]. Euge…

A Gradual Emancipation (1783 – 1827)

The American Revolution birthed a paradox. As patriots championed their own freedom from the British they continued to enslave people of African descent. Brooklyn was the slaveholding capital of New York State. But anti-slavery sentiment grew in the early republic. Many enslaved people of African descent and white Quakers used the rhetoric of the Revolutionary War to demand civil rights and broaden the ideology of freedom. As a result, manumissi…

Crisis Decade (1850 – 1860)

…ed to expand in the United States. The Fugitive Slave Law was part of Congress’ attempt to balance the nation’s free and slave state interests. Instead, the line between free and slave blurred entirely and thousands of free black people in Brooklyn and beyond were at the whim of an unjust law. The city itself continued to rapidly expand, this time along its extensive waterfront. Sugar, tobacco and cotton – all valuable commodities produced by unf…

Timeline

…o read and write. In 1789, at the age of sixteen, he was manumitted. It is difficult to say exactly why Jea was freed, but occasionally Christian slaveholders faced the moral dilemma of enslaving their fellow Christians. With a new physical and spiritual freedom, Jea traveled as a preacher across the United States, West Indies, and Europe and shared the Gospel and his life story with audiences. He detailed his experiences in the Life, History, an…

For Educators

…;br /> Standards Introduction and Alignment to Standards This curriculum guide accompanies the In Pursuit of Freedom project. Through a variety of primary-source based activities, students can build a deeper understanding of the history of abolitionism and anti-slavery activism in Brooklyn. These documents are in PDF format and require Acrobat Reader. In Pursuit of Freedom outlines the development of the abolition movement in Brooklyn, a city…

Games

…anced anti-slavery ideals, and create your own anti-slavery propaganda. It Happened in Brooklyn IN PURSUIT OF FREEDOM WRITE A POEM *Best viewed in Google Chrome & Safari IT HAPPENED in BROOKLYN Click on the titles on the right for additional 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…

Walking Tours

WALKING TOURS In Pursuit of Freedom explores the everyday heroes of Brooklyn’s anti-slavery movement. The public history project is a partnership of Brooklyn Historical Society, Weeksville Heritage Center, and Irondale Ensemble Project. Download the Walking Tour Guide DUMBO DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN BROOKLYN HEIGHTS WEEKSVILLE WILLIAMSBURG DUMBO Brooklyn’s anti-slavery movement began in the neighborhoods we now call DUMBO and Vinegar Hill. At the end o…

Abolitionist Biographies

…Brooklyn Temperance Association. Like many Brooklynites, the Crogers signed anti-slavery petitions to Congress. FREEMAN, Amos N Amos N(oe) Freeman 1809, Rahway, NJ – 1893, Brooklyn, NY Pastor, Underground Railroad Agent, and president of the African Civilization Society, Downtown Brooklyn resident. William J. Wilson described Amos N. Freeman as “efficient, clever and pious.” Freeman attended the Oneida Institute with New York abolitionist A…

Civil War & Beyond (1861 – 1867)

…ain.” Read more… Close The organizing committees consisted of Elizabeth Gloucester, Mary J. Lyons, Christiana Freeman, Mary Wilson, Sarah Morel, and Sarah Tompkins, all anti-slavery activists, whose husbands were prominent abolitionists as well. The fair raised $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…