New York Manumission Society facts for kids
The New-York Manumission Society was an American group started in 1785. Important leaders like John Jay helped create it. Their main goal was to slowly end slavery in New York state. They also wanted to help enslaved people of African descent gain their freedom.
This group was made up of wealthy white men who had important jobs in society. They worked hard against the slave trade. They also pushed for all enslaved people in New York to eventually be free. The society even started the African Free School. This school was for poor and orphaned children of enslaved people and free people of color. The society continued its work until 1849, after slavery was abolished in New York.
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Starting the Society
The New-York Manumission Society began in 1785. Its full name was "The New-York Society for Promoting the Manumission of Slaves, and Protecting Such of Them as Have Been, or May be Liberated." At first, it had a few dozen friends as members. Many of these members actually owned enslaved people themselves.
One reason they started the group was because free Black people were often kidnapped in New York. These kidnapped people were then sold into slavery. Several members of the society were Quakers, a religious group known for opposing slavery.
The first meeting happened on January 25, 1785. It was held at John Simmons's inn. Robert Troup led this first meeting. He owned two enslaved people. Melancton Smith and Troup were chosen to write the rules. John Jay, who owned five enslaved people, was elected as the first president.
At the second meeting, on February 4, 1785, the group grew to 31 members. This included Alexander Hamilton. The society discussed how to free enslaved people owned by its members. They considered a plan for gradual freedom. However, this plan was not approved.
What the Society Did
Working for Change and Boycotts
John Jay was a strong leader against slavery since 1777. He tried to create a state law to end slavery in New York. This first attempt failed, as did a second try in 1785. In 1785, almost all state lawmakers wanted some form of gradual freedom. But they disagreed on what rights freed people would have.
Jay brought important political leaders into the Society. He also worked closely with Aaron Burr. The Society started a petition against slavery. Many important New York politicians signed it. This led to a bill for gradual freedom. Burr also suggested immediately ending slavery, but this idea was voted down.
The Society helped pass a state law in 1785. This law stopped the sale of enslaved people brought into New York. It also made it easier for slaveholders to free enslaved people. In 1788, buying enslaved people to move them to another state was forbidden. Enslaved people were also given the right to a jury trial in serious cases. The laws about enslaved people were made simpler. In 1798, Quakers were legally allowed to free their enslaved people. At that time, about 33,000 enslaved people still lived in New York state.
The Society also organized boycotts. They refused to do business with New York merchants and newspaper owners involved in the slave trade. A special committee visited newspaper offices. They warned publishers not to accept ads for buying or selling enslaved people. Another committee kept a list of people involved in the slave trade. They urged members to avoid doing business with anyone on the list.
Historian Roger Kennedy noted that despite efforts by leaders like Burr, Hamilton, and Jay, the slave trade continued. The number of enslaved people and slaveholders in New York City actually increased in the 1790s.
Achievements and Lasting Impact
African Free School
In 1787, the New-York Manumission Society started the African Free School. This school provided education for Black children.
New Laws
Starting in 1785, the Society pushed for a state law to end slavery. Most other northern states (except New Jersey) had already done this. There was strong opposition from Dutch areas upstate, where slavery was still common. Many New York businessmen also made money from the slave trade. The state legislature struggled to agree on a law.
Finally, in 1799, some success came. John Jay, who was then the Governor of New York State, signed the Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery into law. This law stated that all children born to enslaved parents after July 4, 1799, would be free. It also made it illegal to send current enslaved people to other states.
However, there was a catch. These children had to serve an apprenticeship. Boys had to serve their mother's owner until age 28. Girls had to serve until age 25. This meant they were like indentured servants before gaining full freedom.
Another law was passed in 1817. It said that enslaved people born between 1799 and 1817 would become free at ages 28 (males) and 25 (females). All enslaved people born before July 4, 1799, would become free on July 4, 1827.
The last enslaved people in New York were freed by July 4, 1827. This was the largest freeing of enslaved people in North America before 1861. About 10,000 enslaved New Yorkers gained their freedom in 1827. Thousands of newly freed people celebrated with a parade in New York. The parade was held on July 5, not the 4th.
Different Approaches to Ending Slavery
The New-York Manumission Society focused on ending slavery within New York state. Other anti-slavery groups looked at slavery as a problem for the whole country. For example, Quakers from New York asked the First Congress to end the slave trade. Also, Benjamin Franklin and the Pennsylvania Abolition Society asked for slavery to end across the new nation.
However, the New York Manumission Society did not take action on national slavery issues. Leaders like Hamilton believed that federal action on slavery could harm the agreements made at the Constitutional Convention. They thought it might even put the new United States at risk.
