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Presented February 8, 2021.
A look into slavery and the Underground Railroad In Upstate NY
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About this Event
New York was a gateway to liberation for freedom-seekers (often referred to as escaped slaves). Its prime location, with access to Canada and major water routes, made it the destination of choice for many Africans fleeing slavery along the eastern seaboard.
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Freedom-seekers knew they would be protected in New York's many black communities as well as Quaker and other progressive white and mixed-race communities. A large and vocal-free black population was present after the manumission (freeing) of slaves in New York State in 1827.
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Many nationally-known and locally influential black and white abolitionists chose to make their homes in New York. Among them were: Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Gerrit Smith, Henry Ward Beecher, Sojourner Truth, and John Brown.
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This webinar will cover:
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• Slavery in Schoharie County, NY
• Gradual Emancipation in NYS
• The Churches Fracture over Abolition
• Local Names involved in the Anti-Slavery Movement
• Possible Agents of the Underground Railroad
• Possible Underground Railroad Routes that went through Schoharie County
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About the presenter:
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Ken Jones is the Town and Village Historian of Esperance, NY. He has written several short books on local history including Sam’s Sam the Gallow’s Bird a Schoharie black resident hung for murder in Fonda, NY in 1878. Ken is a charter member and currently the President of the Esperance Historical Society and Museum.