Original and deeply researched, this book provides a new interpretation of Dutch American slavery which challenges many of the traditional assumptions about slavery in New York. With an emphasis on demography and economics, Michael J. Douma shows that slavery in eighteenth-century New York was mostly rural, heavily Dutch, and generally profitable through the cultivation of wheat. Slavery in Dutch New York ultimately died a political death in the nineteenth century, while resistance from enslaved persons, and a gradual turn against slavery in society and in the courts, encouraged its destruction. This important study will reshape the historiography of slavery in the American North.

‘This is one of the most methodologically innovative studies on the history of slavery in America. In seven brilliantly researched chapters, Douma analyzes the size of Dutch New York slavery, the importance of wheat production, prices of enslaved workers, and the pathway to emancipation. Its conclusions make important corrections to previous studies.'

Jeroen DeWulf, - University of California, Berkeley

‘A remarkably insightful analysis of slavery in Dutch New York. Focusing on the demographic history of the enslaved, Douma's research dispels many myths, including the thesis that slavery under the Dutch was somehow ‘mild'. This much-needed antidote will be indispensable to historians of slavery and Dutch New York alike.'

Jaap Jacobs - author of The Colony of New Netherland: A Dutch Settlement in Seventeenth-Century America

‘With meticulous research and compelling analysis, Michael Douma boldly places New York's Dutch communities at the center of slavery in the North. This book challenges long-held assumptions about slavery in New York and unveils the enduring legacy of the Dutch language within enslaved communities.'

Nicole S. Maskiell - author of Bound by Bondage

‘Brilliantly researched, well-written, and fascinating, Michael Douma tells a new story about slavery in the North. It is a must read for anyone interested in the history of New York.'

Shane White - author of Prince of Darkness: The Untold Story of Jeremiah G. Hamilton, Wall Street's First Black Millionaire

‘Michael Douma opens a fresh window on a new vista in American history: the role of slavery in Dutch New York. Brimming with original approaches to recovering buried truths, this book confronts readers with overwhelming evidence of the profitability and prevalence of enslavement in the Empire State.'

Richard Bell - University of Maryland

‘Douma's history of New York slavery documents for the first time the stubborn resistance to emancipation by Dutch Reformed wheat farmers in the Hudson Valley. He has mastered the secondary literature and scoured the archives. The revisionist work will set the standard for future slavery research in northern states.'

Robert P. Swierenga - ‘Dean of Dutch American Studies', Professor Emeritus, Kent State University; Research Professor, A. C. Van Raalte Institute, Hope College