The first direct shipment of enslaved Africans arrived in New Amsterdam (now New York City) in 1655. The voyage of the White Horse came in the wake of significant changes in the Dutch Atlantic. In this eessay, American historian Dennis Maika outlines how family and business connections shaped the development of a slave-trading center in Manhattan.
New Amsterdam’s residents would have immediately noticed something different about the arrival of the Witte Paert (White Horse) in the early summer of 1655. The stench of human excrement and illness emanating from the newly arrived “scheepgen” (small ship), left little doubt that a slaver had arrived after a long voyage. [Read more…] about The First Slave Traders in New York
New York has many programs that promote public interest in, and understanding of, history. Their initiatives and accomplishments are often reported here on the New York History Blog. But readers of the Blog might be interested in taking a look at the work of Virginia historian Edward Ayers, former president of the University of Richmond where he now teaches history, as another example of how to deepen public understanding of history and bring history into public discussions.