Lived Experiences of Enslaved Peoples in the Hudson Valley

51 North 5th Street,Hudson NY 12534

12 March, 2023

Description

This event will be presented in a hybrid format. Guests are welcome to attend in person or virtually via the Zoom App.About the LectureIn her presentation, Mosterman will explore the history of slavery and resistance in Dutch New York, with special attention to Kinderhook and surroundings. Through examination of Dutch American homes, Dutch Reformed churches, and public spaces in these predominantly Dutch American communities, she shows how Dutch American enslavers increasingly used their dominance over these spaces to control the people they enslaved, while enslaved people resisted such control by escaping or modifying these spaces and expanding their mobility and activities within them. Such close analysis of enslavement in these spaces reveals that by the mid-eighteenth-century slavery in New York was an advanced system of violence and control that had much in common with that of slave societies in the plantation South. Lived Experiences of Enslaved Peoples in the Hudson Valley is a part of the free lecture series, In Perspective... presented by the African American Archive of Columbia County in association with the Columbia County Historical Society. Guest SpeakerDr. Andrea Mosterman, Associate Professor Atlantic History, Joseph Tregle Professor in Early American History, University of New Orleans, and author of Spaces of Enslavement: A History of Slavery and Resistance in Dutch New York. Andrea C. Mosterman is Associate Professor of Atlantic History and Joseph Tregle Professor in Early American History at the University of New Orleans. Mosterman's articles have appeared in, among others, The Journal of African History and Early American Studies. www.andreacmosterman.com Spaces of Enslavement: A History of Slavery and Resistance in Dutch New YorkBy Andrea C. Mosterman In Spaces of Enslavement, Andrea C. Mosterman addresses the persistent myth that the colonial Dutch system of slavery was more humane. Investigating practices of enslavement in New Netherland and then in New York, Mosterman shows that these ways of racialized spatial control held much in common with the southern plantation societies. In the 1620s, Dutch colonial settlers brought slavery to the banks of the Hudson River and founded communities from New Amsterdam in the south to Beverwijck near the terminus of the navigable river. When Dutch power in North America collapsed and the colony came under English control in 1664, Dutch descendants continued to rely on enslaved labor. Until 1827, when slavery was abolished in New York State, slavery expanded in the region, with all free New Yorkers benefitting from that servitude. Mosterman describes how the movements of enslaved persons were controlled in homes and in public spaces such as workshops, courts, and churches. She addresses how enslaved people responded to regimes of control by escaping from or modifying these spaces so as to expand their activities within them. Through a close analysis of homes, churches, and public spaces, Mosterman shows that, over the course of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the region's Dutch communities were engaged in a daily struggle with Black New Yorkers who found ways to claim freedom and resist oppression. Spaces of Enslavement writes a critical and overdue chapter on the place of slavery and resistance in the colony and young state of New York. Published by Cornell University Press. ISBN13: 9781501715624 (ISBN10: 1501715623) Purchase Publication About the OrganizersAfrican American Archive of Columbia CountyThe African American Archive of Columbia County, New York exists to document, preserve, and share the deep history of Black people in the upper Hudson Valley. From their arrival with the Dutch Patroons early in the 17th century, through today, the roots of our African forebears have been profoundly intertwined with the land and people of Columbia County. While hardly secret, this narrative is seldom told or taught in schools. Our mission is to lift the voices of our ancestors, bring our stories to light and life, and create a living chronicle that will honor our past and enlighten our future. www.afamarchivecc.org Get the AAACC Newsletter. Follow AAACC on Facebook and Instagram Victoria (Vicki) Jimpson-Fludd is the Executive Director of the African American Archive of Columbia County – a fledgling non-for-profit organization which is affiliated with the Columbia County Historical Society. The Archive exists to document, preserve, and share the deep history of Black people in the upper Hudson Valley. From their arrival with the Dutch Patroons early in the 17th century, through today, the roots of our African forebears have been profoundly intertwined with the land and people of Columbia County. While hardly secret, this narrative is seldom told or taught in schools. Our mission is to lift the voices of our ancestors, bring our stories to light and life, and create a living chronicle that will honor our past and enlighten our future. Ms. Jimpson-Fludd’s education includes MBA studies at the Harvard Business School and the Wharton School of Finance as well as BA studies at SUNY Albany. For more than 20 years, she lived in Germany where she worked as a professional Management Consultant. Ms. Jimpson-Fludd also possesses a Certificate in Organizational and Community Leadership from Adelphi University as well as an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership & Management from the Austin W. Marxe School of Public & International Affairs at Baruch College - a program which is sponsored by the New York Community Trust. For the past 5 years, Ms. Jimpson-Fludd has served as the President of the Board of Directors and Grants Officer for the 60-year-old Fine Arts Orchestral Society d.b.a. Yonkers Philharmonic Orchestra. Lisa (Leigh) Fludd-Smith is a researcher and lay historian who focuses on combining abstract data with social, historical and cultural observation. She is descended from Black families who have lived in Columbia County for over 250 years, and is presently writing a book on the history of slavery and freedom in the area. In addition to her work with the Archive, Lisa also owns a furniture restoration business in Westchester County, where she lives with her husband and two of their three adult children. Columbia County Historical Society The Columbia County Historical Society is a private nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization Chartered by the Board of Regents, State Education Department, University of the State of New York, and dedicated to the preservation. interpretation and presentation of the history and culture of Columbia County, New York. The CCHS encourages understanding, knowledge, and preservation of the County's culture and heritage through acquisition and conservation of historic artwork, architecture, properties, objects and documents, and through the sponsorship of research, publications, exhibitions, and educational programs. To help achieve its mission, the CCHS owns, maintains, and interprets collections and buildings of historical significance, and operates a museum and extensive research library. www.cchsny.org Get the CCHS Newsletter. Follow CCHS on FacebookTwitter Event Image: Retouched detail from Van Bergen Overmantel, c. 1733, attributed to John Heaten, oil on cherry wood boards. Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York. Museum purchase N0366.1954. Photograph by Richard Walker.