State of Affairs

The First Immigrants
The arrival of blacks in New York city goes as far back as 1655 with the arrival of 300 slaves aboard the ship Witte Pert (Binders & Reimers, 14). This led to the integration of Nieuw Amsterdam into the Atlantic Slave Trade. According to Binders and Reimers, most slaves were shipped and sold in the south; but, a considerable number remained in New York , making up nearly 25 percent of total population by the 1660s. When the Dutch were in control, those that were enslaved were granted half-freedom for services to the the Dutch West India Company. Some even earned certificates declaring that they were at the same level of freedom as other citizens and were able to apply for housing etc. But, like the Jews, housing was granted towards the periphery of the city as human buffers against Indian attacks (Binders & Reimers, 15).

When the English took over, the situation got much worse. The Atlantic Slave Trade became a much larger operation and discrimination was not based on slave status but of color. In New York, black revolts such as the Panic of 1712 were responses of frustration and despair. But, this somewhat changed with the American Revolution, when about four thousand blacks joined the colonial ranks in the fight for freedom against the English.

Following the American Revolution, documents like the Declaration of Independence, written by Benjamin Franklin, inspired civil rights movements that gradually won back freedom and equality that had long been denied. Newspapers like Freedom's Journal, one of thousands of ethnic newspapers in New York, and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church also played a big role in the lives of black people into the 1860s. In addition to prayer service, it was also a place for communal activities and civil rights discussions. By 1790, the population of blacks in New York was 25,978, of which 21,324 were still slaves (Johnson, 11).

Struggles
While a major portion of the black population settled in West Harlem, there were also black settlement in East Harlem during the 1800s, when East Harlem was still rural. Integration into New York society was still very difficult and clashes were frequent with severe competition for jobs as common as servants and janitors. Segregation was another issue. Old racist ideas were often resurrected, only aggravating social tensions. There were times that blacks were considering leaving behind hostilities and returning to their homelands in Africa, Haiti, and regions of Central America. In fact, there was a controversy about this, involving the spreading of false advertisement to get blacks to leave the city. Fortunately, there arose strong leaders, black and white, that stood up for human rights.

The Manumission Society dedicated to black freedom was one such organization; however, their progress was greatly hindered as some members owned slaves and were not willing to free them. When legislatures were finally passed, there were controversies involving the selling of slaves by the very people that were part of the Manumission Society. Despite the seemingly endless chains of misfortune, blacks endured hostility and eventually rose in status, greatly aided through education.

It is said that the first school established in New York, the African Free School, set the foundation of public schools we see today... Continue?

Read more about Black Harlem -- or Next (El Barrio)