In collaboration with the Jacob Leisler Institute for the Study of Early New York History we present Reconsidering Slavery in 17th century New Netherland – What do We Know? What Can We Learn?, a talk by Dennis J. Maika
Date/Time: Thursday, April 28, 6-7:30pm
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Registration: To register for the Zoom link click here.
There has been a glaring gap in today’s important and critical discussion of American slavery and its legacy: an accurate understanding of the lives of enslaved people and their enslavers in the Northern colonies and how their experiences contributed to the institution of American slavery. Many Americans are surprised to learn of the existence of Northern slavery and New Yorkers may be stunned to learn that slavery was deeply entwined in their colonial and state history. The purpose of this talk is to provide a broader historical context in which to consider some of these new revelations and the questions they raise. Hopefully, a better appreciation of slavery in New Netherland will stimulate a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of American slavery.
Dennis J. Maika is Senior Historian at the New Netherland Institute. A historian of colonial New York with a Ph.D. in History from New York University, he has written numerous articles and papers and served as a consultant for a variety of local history and education projects. His recent article, “To ‘experiment with a parcel of negros’: Incentive, Collaboration, and Competition in New Amsterdam’s Slave Trade,” was a winner of NNI’s 2021 Clague and Carol Van Slyke Article Prize. He is currently working on a book about Manhattan merchants and their city government in the Dutch and English periods of seventeenth-century New York history. As a professional educator, he taught History and Psychology at the high school and college levels for several decades.
The Jacob Leisler Library Lectures are made partially possible through the generous support of the Van Dyke Family Foundation.
Photo caption: List of Purchasers of “a lot of male and female Negroes,” From a Slave Auction in Manhattan, 29 May 1664. Source: Volume X, part III, pg. 228 New York Dutch Colonial Manuscripts. 29 May 1664.