In the Shadow of Slavery - (Historical Studies of Urban America) by Leslie M Harris (Paperback)

About the Book

"The first edition of Leslie Harris's book was pathbreaking in arguing for the centrality of African Americans' contributions to the formation of New York City, including the slave labor that helped build it. From the first Dutch settlement up to the Civil War Draft Riots, Harris captures in rich detail how Black New Yorkers fought racist laws and practices, argued for better working and living conditions, and advocated for abolition. Her narrative of community formation encompasses people of all classes and professions, from ministers and businessmen to chimney sweeps and stevedores. Today, her depiction of Black New Yorkers' strivings is vital for understanding resistance and solidarity against today's oppressions"--

Book Synopsis

A new edition of a classic work revealing the little-known history of African Americans in New York City before Emancipation.

The popular understanding of the history of slavery in America almost entirely ignores the institution's extensive reach in the North. But the cities of the North were built by--and became the home of--tens of thousands of enslaved African Americans, many of whom would continue to live there as free people after Emancipation.

In the Shadow of Slavery reveals the history of African Americans in the nation's largest metropolis, New York City. Leslie M. Harris draws on travel accounts, autobiographies, newspapers, literature, and organizational records to extend prior studies of racial discrimination. She traces the undeniable impact of African Americans on class distinctions, politics, and community formation by offering vivid portraits of the lives and aspirations of countless black New Yorkers. This new edition includes an afterword by the author addressing subsequent research and the ongoing arguments over how slavery and its legacy should be taught, memorialized, and acknowledged by governments.

Review Quotes

"For its treatment of antebellum class relations and urban community development, Harris' In the Shadow of Slavery ought to become a staple of undergraduate reading lists for several years to come."--Scott Miltenberger "Journal of Social History" (3/3/2023 12:00:00 AM)

"This is an absolutely superior work of social history. . . . Thoroughly researched, perceptively analyzed, cleverly argued, beautifully written."
--Nikki Taylor "Journal of African American History" (3/3/2023 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Leslie M. Harris is professor of history at Northwestern University.