Abolitionist Brooklyn (1828 – 1849)

…ization Society, a local branch of the American Colonization Society (ACS). The organization sought to relocate free black communities to Liberia, and Van Sinderen raised a significant amount of money for that purpose. They did not believe American society could or should be culturally diverse. Ironically, James W. C. Pennington, one of the earliest opponents of colonization schemes, worked as Van Sinderen’s coachman. The lives of pro- and anti-s…

A Gradual Emancipation (1783 – 1827)

…and white Quakers used the rhetoric of the Revolutionary War to demand civil rights and broaden the ideology of freedom. As a result, manumissions, anti-slavery societies and free black communities expanded across the North. The constitutions of Vermont (1777) and Massachusetts (1783) forbade slavery, and Pennsylvania (1780) Rhode Island (1784), and Connecticut (1784) all passed gradual emancipation laws. This was not the case in Brooklyn or King…

Crisis Decade (1850 – 1860)

…Library. By the 1840s, as Brooklyn expanded, many white Brooklynites pushed for greater police protection. Yet, for the most part, the creation of a city police force represented a threat to black Brooklynites who were unprotected by local, state and federal laws. In 1842, Edward Saxton was accused of being a fugitive from Mobile, AL. His captor, J.C. Gantz presented a Brooklyn Court with an affidavit claiming that Saxton had forged his freedom p…

Timeline

…005. Series 13036-78, Laws of 1799, Chapter 62. Teacher’s Manual Section 1: Lesson 2 It took twenty-eight years for New York State, and therefore Kings County, to end slavery. In 1799, New York State made provisions for the gradual emancipation of enslaved people. It was the second to last northern state to do so. After July 4, 1799 children born of enslaved mothers would be free at the age of 28 if male, and 25 if female. Slavery had no end date…

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

FOR STUDENTS Build map skills, develop a better understanding of how everyday people advanced 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 Refine…

Walking Tours

…businesses. ↗ Open map in new window 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 s…

Abolitionist Biographies

…a friend and colleague to Lewis Tappan and James Pennington and delivered the eulogy at Tappan’s funeral. Amos Freeman married Christiana Taylor Williams on December 24, 1839 in Newark, NJ. She was born on June 4, 1812 in Manhattan to Caribbean parents. Christiana worked closely with other women associated with Siloam Presbyterian – Elizabeth Gloucester and Mary Wilson –to raise funds for the church and the Colored Orphan Asylum. Christiana died…

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…