BHA Speaker Series: Transitioning from Slavery to Freedom

Program Type:

Performance, Other

Age Group:

Adults
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Event Details

A recording of this event is available on the Library's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N5Wq4cWqAs

Learn how Black families in the Bethlehem and Albany area transitioned from slavery to freedom following the Abolition of slavery in New York in 1827.

Please note:

  • Registration is optional, but is advised due to limited seating.
     
    • Registered patrons will have a seat.
       
    • Waitlisted patrons are invited to use standing room.
       
    • Walk-ins will be admitted if space allows
       
  • Doors open at 6:30pm. Presentation begins at 7pm.
     

Description of Program: Enslaved people of African and Native American descent were used as the primary labor force in New York from the 1620s until gradual emancipation abolished the institution in 1827. The number of enslaved people per household was smaller in New York than the southern plantations but several wealthy landowners around Albany did retain five or more slaves on their rural estates. Three of these were the Nicoll-Sill house in Bethlehem, Schuyler Flatts in Colonie, and the Van Schaick Mansion in Cohoes. History & archaeology can tell us about the strategies these families used in the transition from slavery to freedom in the 19th century.


Speaker Bio: Michael T. Lucas, PhD, Curator of Historical Archaeology at the New York State Museum will be this evening’s presenter. He holds a B.S., Anthropology, 1995, University of South Dakota;  M.A.A., Anthropology, 1995, University of Maryland and Ph.D., American Studies, 2008, University of Maryland. Michael’s research is particularly interested in the exploitation of labor during the 18th Century. New York is replete with archaeological sites where indentured servitude, slavery, and wage labor were employed. Field data is used to explore the material realities of life on the economic margins of society. This research contributes to our understanding of the consequences of slavery and other exploitive labor practices in New York during the 17th & 18th centuries.


About This Series: The Town of Bethlehem Historical Association (BHA) has been incorporated as a not-for-profit membership organization since 1965. Along with upkeep of collections and exhibits at the Cedar Hill Schoolhouse Museum at 1003 River Rd. Selkirk, the BHA is pleased to continue it's long tradition of presenting fall and spring series of talks by distinguished local speakers on a variety of topics designed to stimulate an appreciation of our historic heritage. We're delighted to have the opportunity to partner with the Bethlehem Public Library in our complementary roles of providing information and enhancing learning and enriching the cultural life of our community.
 


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*** We cannot hold two seats for one registration ***