A PRO SLAVERY NEW YORK
As the nation grappled with the question of slavery, many New Yorkers went against the precedent set by their Northern neighbors as they supported the Southern agenda of being pro-slavery. This perspective taken on slavery was largely because of the economic growth that Southern states and slavery brought to New York.
New York: Connection To The South
Out of all the Northern states, New York undeniably had the closest relationship with the South. This was true for a variety of reasons. Southern people would visit NYC and bring with them money that would contribute to New York's increasing wealth. At the same time, the growing abolitionist movement in New York alienated Southerners who brought with them their slaves ("Southern People in the City" par. 2). This contradictory situation that New York found itself in led to New Yorkers, forgetting that the South needed New York City just as much as the city needed the South. Because of this, the politicians of the city tended to be more sympathetic to the South and bend the laws for them by allowing slaves and allowing the slave trade to operate under police radar. The growing Southern influence led to corruption within the city's government ("The Southern Journals are Still Busy" par. 2). Southern news-cycles had a noticeable impact on New York society. The propaganda they released about slavery and what abolition would mean for poor white workers led to distress and in some cases, violence from northern whites and immigrants. In 1835, there was a rumored plot to kidnap Arthur Tappan, which according to James Gordon Bennett was either the product of southern fanaticism or spurred on by southern propaganda ("Southern Conspiracy" par. 3). Southern media outlets could impact the actions of New Yorkers who were overcome with the fear of losing their jobs and their way of life.
As stated previously, Southerners had a massive influence in New York society. Affluent Southern visitors often spent their money in New York in order to experience New York City's renowned cultural life. Theaters and centers of entertainment went out of their way to appeal to them. Newspapers and media also promoted these shows heavily. These shows were racist and often ridiculed African Americans, as white actors dressed up foolishly and donned blackface, in an attempt to mock African Americans. Some of these shows that "The Herald," a very widely read newspaper promoted, included "Uncle Pat's Cabin" and "It's The Custom of the Country" (Theatrical and Musical par. 3). The heavy promotion and performance of these shows represent another example of how closely tied the Southern elite were with the New York society.
Ties between the state and region developed in the South as well. Prominent NY merchants and businessmen were planning to relocate their businesses to Savannah, Georgia, after the expected secession (Foner 282). This shows that NY merchants and businessmen cared more about profit and the prosperity of their businesses than the morality of slavery. It also means that they already had connections and strong ties to individuals in the South before secession, if they were comfortable relocating to the other side of the country.
As stated previously, Southerners had a massive influence in New York society. Affluent Southern visitors often spent their money in New York in order to experience New York City's renowned cultural life. Theaters and centers of entertainment went out of their way to appeal to them. Newspapers and media also promoted these shows heavily. These shows were racist and often ridiculed African Americans, as white actors dressed up foolishly and donned blackface, in an attempt to mock African Americans. Some of these shows that "The Herald," a very widely read newspaper promoted, included "Uncle Pat's Cabin" and "It's The Custom of the Country" (Theatrical and Musical par. 3). The heavy promotion and performance of these shows represent another example of how closely tied the Southern elite were with the New York society.
Ties between the state and region developed in the South as well. Prominent NY merchants and businessmen were planning to relocate their businesses to Savannah, Georgia, after the expected secession (Foner 282). This shows that NY merchants and businessmen cared more about profit and the prosperity of their businesses than the morality of slavery. It also means that they already had connections and strong ties to individuals in the South before secession, if they were comfortable relocating to the other side of the country.
“New York belongs almost as much to the South as to the North”
- The Editor of the New York Evening Post
The Fruits of Amalgamation, created by E.W. Clay in 1839, was a painting that was completed and published in New York, in order to garner support for the pro-slavery movement. Although it was several years before the Civil War, being published in 1839, the artist's intent and the painting's popularity showed that the pro-slavery movement had many supporters. The painting sparked belief in white citizens' minds that freed African Americans would marry white women and create mix-raced children. White people feared the integration of African Americans into society, and this painting built on that fear. Despite the supposed sectional divide in the nation and the expectation that as a Northern state, New York would be anti-slavery, Southern influence was extremely prevalent once again.
Economic Benefits of the NY-South Relationship
The South was integral to New York City's economy. The city's businessmen marketed the South's cotton and manufactured everything from cheap clothing for outfitting slaves to fancy carriages for their masters. Fernando Wood, NYC's mayor, called the South "our best customer. She pays the best prices and pays promptly" (Soodhalter par. 6).
Cotton was easily an essential commodity for the South. When looking at Southern exports in 1859, cotton created a whopping $161,434,923 in profit. This pales in comparison to the total profit created by Southern exports, which was $193,399,618. The closest other product in value was tobacco, which contributed $21,074,038 in profit (Christy 267). The fact that New York ports and shipping companies were responsible for a lot of the cotton trade is significant when looking at the economic reliance on the South. Being involved in this industry was extremely important, and if slavery were to be abolished, New York would lose a lot of money. This could explain the substantial support for the South.
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The dependency on the cotton industry of New Yorkers was further investigated by the legislature of Alabama, who found that 1/3 of the price of cotton went to New Yorkers. In 1849, the Journal of Commerce stated that the South purchased more than $76,000,000 worth of merchandise in the North. Also, it was estimated that the five cotton states (Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee) provided NY with around $200,000,000 in business. (Lippard 7) By 1859, NY merchants were called the "leading Northern defenders of slavery" (Foner 148). Merchants were the biggest proponents of slavery in NY because of how important the institution was to profit and business.
Pro-slavery ideals in New York sprung up from the fact that New York's businessmen heavily relied on slavery and the fear of the working class that freed slaves would steal working-class jobs. These working-class frustrations are further illustrated later when examining violence and riots that occurred in NY.
Pro-slavery ideals in New York sprung up from the fact that New York's businessmen heavily relied on slavery and the fear of the working class that freed slaves would steal working-class jobs. These working-class frustrations are further illustrated later when examining violence and riots that occurred in NY.
“The profits, luxuries, the necessities––nay, even the physical existence [of New York] depend upon…continuance of slave labor and the prosperity of the slave master!
- Mayor of NYC, Fernando Wood
New York was the epicenter of America’s illegal slave trade. Although the state of New York had voted in 1827 to abolish slavery, New York City traders continued to provide slaves––first to the South, then to Brazil and Cuba––right up to and during the Civil War. Whether as investors, ship owners, or captains and crews, New Yorkers promoted, enabled, and carried on the traffic in humans. Of all the cities in America, New York was the most invested in the transatlantic slave trade (Soodalter par. 8).
New York’s ship industry leaders built their boats to be able to handle large slave cargoes. NY businessmen financed and invested in the voyages, and due to this, they prospered. The profits made from a single slaving expedition were staggering: A slave purchased for $40 worth of cloth, beads or whiskey would sell for between $400 and $1,200 in American and overseas markets, as slaves were resold in Charleston (South Carolina), Mobile (Alabama), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) or Havana (Cuba). With the sale of an average cargo of 800 slaves bringing as much as $960,000 (tens of millions in today’s currency) ship owners and investors of the slave trade grew extremely wealthy from one voyage (Soodalter par. 9).
The South also owed New York insane amounts of money. Over many years of transactions and business dealings, Southern businesses owed NY coffers tens of millions of dollars. When South Carolina became the first state to secede on December 20, it foreshadowed a series of events that would plunge NY into an economic crisis. Leaders in NY were anxious at the prospect of not getting money back from the South (Soodalter par. 21).
New York’s ship industry leaders built their boats to be able to handle large slave cargoes. NY businessmen financed and invested in the voyages, and due to this, they prospered. The profits made from a single slaving expedition were staggering: A slave purchased for $40 worth of cloth, beads or whiskey would sell for between $400 and $1,200 in American and overseas markets, as slaves were resold in Charleston (South Carolina), Mobile (Alabama), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) or Havana (Cuba). With the sale of an average cargo of 800 slaves bringing as much as $960,000 (tens of millions in today’s currency) ship owners and investors of the slave trade grew extremely wealthy from one voyage (Soodalter par. 9).
The South also owed New York insane amounts of money. Over many years of transactions and business dealings, Southern businesses owed NY coffers tens of millions of dollars. When South Carolina became the first state to secede on December 20, it foreshadowed a series of events that would plunge NY into an economic crisis. Leaders in NY were anxious at the prospect of not getting money back from the South (Soodalter par. 21).
At present, there are no means of collecting any portion of these debts, nor can there be, until the authority of the United States government is re-established in the rebellious states
- NY Merchants to President Lincoln in 1861
(Foner pg. 302)
Mayor Wood perhaps gave the most strong piece of evidence of Southern support when he proposed that Gotham declare itself an independent commonwealth, to be called the Free City of Tri-insula, Latin for "Three islands"—Long, Staten and Manhattan. As its own sovereign city-state, it would be free to "make common cause with the South" and deny Federal troops the right to march through the city. This outlandish idea made it apparent exactly how important the South was to New York's economy, as he was willing to completely alter the government and economy of New York (Soodhalter par. 22).
Political Implications of the Slavery Debate
By 1860, New York City’s reputation for official corruption and leniency toward slave traders was unrivaled. At the time, people thought it was a safe and smart decision to invest in the slave trade, even though it was illegal. No efforts were made by law enforcement to apprehend or stop either the investors or the traders. The investors and traders saw the slave trade as “victimless,” and whenever someone proposed a change to the laws that would potentially infringe upon their profit, they used backdoor politics to thwart these attempts (Soodalter par. 12).
In New York City, where most of the Northern prosecutions took place, hardly any of the few slave traders indicted were convicted. Of the 125 prosecuted as slave traders during the 24 years before the Civil War, only 20 were sent to prison. Moreover, even those sentenced only served on average, two years in prison. Ten of these received presidential pardons, and three more facing the possibility of the gallows were allowed to plead to lesser charges. Although slave trading had been a capital offense since 1820, not a single slave trader had been executed by 1860. American judges, specifically those from New York, refused to punish slave traders for international trade when it was legal to trade with Southern states. (Soodalter par. 14)
Similar to the corruption within law enforcement, there was also corruption in the government and political parties of New York. At a democratic party convention held in Syracuse on September 14, 1849, the democrats stated that Congress had no constitutional power over slavery in the territories of the United States and that it had no ability to determine whether or not it was legal or illegal (Raymond 2). New York’s Democratic party’s stance on the power of Congress on the issue of slavery shows that the government of New York was in favor of slavery. The government, particularly the Democratic party, had a clear bias towards slavery, which would influence the legislature of New York towards the legality of slavery. This shows how the issue of slavery not only impacted New York City but the state in its entirety. With the government being in favor of slavery, it would have been probable that they worked to influence the general sentiment of New York and make it in favor of slavery (“New York Draft Riots.” par. 16).
In New York City, where most of the Northern prosecutions took place, hardly any of the few slave traders indicted were convicted. Of the 125 prosecuted as slave traders during the 24 years before the Civil War, only 20 were sent to prison. Moreover, even those sentenced only served on average, two years in prison. Ten of these received presidential pardons, and three more facing the possibility of the gallows were allowed to plead to lesser charges. Although slave trading had been a capital offense since 1820, not a single slave trader had been executed by 1860. American judges, specifically those from New York, refused to punish slave traders for international trade when it was legal to trade with Southern states. (Soodalter par. 14)
Similar to the corruption within law enforcement, there was also corruption in the government and political parties of New York. At a democratic party convention held in Syracuse on September 14, 1849, the democrats stated that Congress had no constitutional power over slavery in the territories of the United States and that it had no ability to determine whether or not it was legal or illegal (Raymond 2). New York’s Democratic party’s stance on the power of Congress on the issue of slavery shows that the government of New York was in favor of slavery. The government, particularly the Democratic party, had a clear bias towards slavery, which would influence the legislature of New York towards the legality of slavery. This shows how the issue of slavery not only impacted New York City but the state in its entirety. With the government being in favor of slavery, it would have been probable that they worked to influence the general sentiment of New York and make it in favor of slavery (“New York Draft Riots.” par. 16).
Resulting Violence and Tension
Tension slowly began to build up in NY over the question of slavery and support of the South. Violence erupted as early as 1834 as people began to resort to going to extreme lengths to promote their ideas and shut down the ideas of others. The anti-abolitionist riots that broke out in New York on July 9th, 1834 initially targeted whites who supported the abolitionist cause, such as Arthur and Lewis Tappan, but the focus of the riot soon shifted towards blacks. The mob was primarily made up of more impoverished, working-class, white men who were urged on by wealthier merchants. Soon they began to target blacks who had achieved some level of economic stability in the years since slavery ended in New York State ("The Disturbances on Wednesday Night" par. 5). This same resentment of successful African Americans emerged in the 1863 draft riots, which occurred as people resisted fighting in the civil war. Immigrants and white Americans who did not support the Union cause began to resist the drafts by attacking black neighborhoods and the draft wheels. The pictures below from a Harper's Weekly article published on August 1st, 1863 depict the draft riots and destruction that occurred. As a result of these draft riots it is estimated that over 1,000 people were killed, and 3,000 of the city's black residents became homeless ("New York Draft Riots." par. 19).