Themes in American History

New York: Slavery has been a key element in the development of New York City since its former time and it has served as the capital of American slavery for more than two centuries. Slavery was not fully abolished in New York until 1827 however the gradual abolishment process began in 1799.  By the 1800s slave trade proved to be a profitable business for the merchants in New York City. Almost every merchants and business man had a stake in the slave trade. By 1850s the owners of slaves would hire out or rent their slaves to nearby employers thus making it profitable for both slaves and masters. The slaves would have the opportunity to food, drink and entertainment. They had time to run their own churches and enjoyed a great mobility and cultural autonomy. They not only got the opportunity to social with their own race but also with poor whites. However it was not possible to supervise for the masters to supervise their slaves each and every minute especially if they were hired out. Slave codes then came into the picture resulting into a formal segregation which excluded slaves from most public accommodations. The law required the slaves to have license for certain jobs and they were forbidden to learn how to read and write.

Nashville: Slaves where one of the most valuable assets for Nashville. It served as a market for both the purchasing and selling of slaves. It had a large population of skilled slaves and by 1800 forty five percent of Nashville inhabitants were slaves. However by 1860 this number started gradually declining to the immigrants from Europe. Living in the city provided the slaves with great opportunity to read and write and experience quasi-independence that was unknown to those who were still living in the plantation. Most of them were skilled worker, had family and maintained a social life and religion.

Tags: 18th century, Nashville, New York City, slavery

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