Episode 324: Andrea Mosterman, New Netherland and Slavery

by Holly WhiteMarch 15, 2022

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After Henry Hudson’s 1609-voyage along the river that now bears his name, Dutch traders began to visit and trade at the area they called New Netherland. In 1614, the Dutch established a trading post near present-day Albany, New York. In 1624, the Dutch West India Company built the settlement of New Amsterdam.

How did the colony of New Netherland take shape? In what ways did the Dutch West India Company and private individuals use enslaved labor to develop the colony?

Andrea Mosterman, an Associate Professor of History at the University of New Orleans and author of Spaces of Enslavement: A History of Slavery and Resistance in Dutch New York, joins us to explore what life was like in New Netherland and early New York, especially for the enslaved people who did much of the work to build this Dutch, and later English, colony.

This episode is supported by an American Rescue Plan grant to the Omohundro Institute from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

About the Show

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Ben Franklin’s World is a production of the Omohundro Institute.

Episode Summary

Andrea Mosterman , an Associate Professor of History at the University of New Orleans and author of Spaces of Enslavement: A History of Slavery and Resistance in Dutch New York, joins us to explore what life was like in New Netherland and early New York, especially for the enslaved people who did much of the work to build this Dutch, and later English, colony.

During our exploration, Andrea reveals information about the establishment of New Netherland, its geographic scope, and its place within the larger Dutch Atlantic World; Dutch involvement in the African slave trade and the origins of slavery in colonial New Netherland and New York; And, myth versus reality when it comes to the history and lived experiences of enslaved New Yorkers during the Dutch and English colonial periods.

What You’ll Discover

Establishment of New Netherland
New Netherland as a trade colony
Geography of New Netherland
Dutch West India Company & New Netherland
The Dutch Revolt, 1566-1648
Dutch involvement in the Atlantic slave trade
Origins of slavery in early New York
Life and work experiences of enslaved New Netherlanders
Half-freedom status supplied by the Dutch West India Company
English Conquest of 1664
Changes to colonial New York’s system of slavery
New York’s benevolent slavery myth
New England threats to sell enslaved people to colonial New York
The myth that enslaved New Yorkers were members of white New York families
Slavery at Schuyler Mansion
Realities of enslaved people living with white New York families
Ways enslaved New Yorkers resisted & challenged their enslavement
New York’s long history with slavery

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Time Warp Question

In your opinion, what might have happened if early New Yorkers had built separate quarters for their enslaved people? How might the experience of slavery in early New York have been different if enslaved people really did have their own homes and dedicated spaces?