At the New York Historical Society we once again examined history through the lens of slavery.   New York Harbor evidently was quite the middle man for Southern cotton and other crops being shipped over sea to Europe.  In fact, Southern cotton and textiles shipped through New York led to 38 cents per dollar profit for the city.  It was this that made New York and the South political allies.  Antebellum New York clearly catered to the lifestyles of Southern merchants, allowing slavery for up to nine months and promoting minstrel shows and other stereotypically racist forms of entertainment.  Southerners loved to stay at the fancy hotels and frequent the shops of New York, but the feeling was mutual as New York enjoyed the commercial profits that came with the cotton trade. 

The typical commode chair of colonial gentry America was tended by slave labor.

At the Luce Center storage facilities for the NYHS, we were asked to interpret several paintings and other artifacts all dealing with slavery in New York.  We looked at the Tontine Coffee House painting, which show slaves working in New York City.  Also, of interest was the Beekman Coach (one of three carriages that George Washington rode in).  For our purposes, it was noted that the coach was driven by slaves.  All of the exhibits were unique, but probably the most graphic of all was the commode chair, a three angled chair placed in the corner of a guest room where visitors or the homeowner could use the facilities.  The connection to slavery?  Slaves would have to discard the waste left over in the chair.   We next were asked to choose an artifact at the Luce Center, determine what it was, come up with an objective, and provide three open ended questions.  This is basic lesson planning 101, but it does encourage students to use critical thinking skills in order to learn more about various artifacts that they may encounter at a museum or inside of the classroom.

The Beekman Coach (George Washington's Carriage)

So what can students learn from this?  I touched on the African Burial Ground briefly in another post.  It shows us that slavery was not only a southern problem.   It in fact was alive and well in Mid-Atlantic States including New York which was the number one slave market up until 1750.  This is a unique perspective that most K-12 level students do not realize, the fact that at one time slavery existed in the north.  The Southern economy of course led to a larger demand for it in the long run throughout the south.

As a parting gift, we were provided with quite useful resources including a CD/DVD with great PowerPoint presentations and wonderful video connecting cotton to the growth of slavery in both north and south.  Furthermore, the replica Harper’s Weekly magazine is an excellent primary document that will provide students in my class with wonderful background information of the pre-Civil War era in general.

My day became complete with a trip to Yankees Stadium.  I have never been a huge Yankees fan.  In fact, in contrast, I have always considered them the “evil empire”.  I do however recognize the rich history that is the New York Yankees.  Even if they do, under the guidance of George Steinbrenner, always buy their team.  I would be lying if I said that I was not impressed by Monument Park, which sits behind the center field fence and the aura of just sitting in the stands.  Just watching Derek Jeter, a sure fire future Hall of Famer, play shortstop and Andy Petite pitch seven strong innings was a thrill.  Then suddenly it was the ninth and Mariano Rivera, the game’s best closer was coming in, and I knew it was all over.  The Yankees win; cue Sinatra with a little New York, New York, and it was all over, Yankees 4, Astros 3.  All in all it was a wonderful experience.

 

The "Yankee Clipper" Joe Dimaggio's plaque at Monument Park, Yankee Stadium.

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