Walking Tours

…Brooklyn urbanized rapidly. What began as the small village of Brooklyn, centered around the Fulton Ferry, transformed into a bustling city. Brooklyn Heights — the first commuter suburb in the United States — signaled this change. Hezekiah Beers Pierrepont, Brooklyn’s first modern land developer, sold farmland previously owned by slave holders to individual investors. Soon, Brooklyn contained paved streets, streetlights, schools, churches, homes…

Exhibitions

…te — who shaped their neighborhoods, city and nation with a revolutionary vision of freedom and equality. For opening times and directions please visit brooklynhistory.org Weeksville: Lived Experiences In Pursuit of Freedom Weeksville: Lived Experiences In Pursuit of Freedom Weeksville, an intentional African American community exemplifies a crucial aspect of freedom in Brooklyn’s anti-slavery movement. In the spirit of creativity, whic…

Funders

…James, Christine Quinn, Domenic Recchia, Albert Vann and David Yassky. In Pursuit of Freedom is assisted by a grant from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, made possible by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior….

Glossary

Abolitionist A radical activist who calls for an immediate end to slavery, political and legal equality for African Americans, and denounces colonization schemes. Antebellum The time period before the Civil War. Confederate States A group of united southern states that formed the Confederate States of America, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. T…

THEMES

INTRODUCTION GRADUAL EMANCIPATION In Pursuit of Freedom explores Brooklyn’s anti-slavery movement from the end of the American Revolution to the early days of Reconstruction through photographs, census records, anti-slavery and local newspapers, maps and more. ABOLITIONIST BROOKLYN CRISIS DECADE CIVIL WAR YEARS TIMELINE…