The Landscape of Black New Yorkers in the Mid-Nineteenth Century

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Historical Archaeology of Cities: Unearthing Complexity in Urban Landscapes", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

The landscapes of mid 19th-century Black New Yorkers in Manhattan seem to have formed in different patterns. Some people lived in segregated communities a short distance from the densely settled town (e.g., Seneca Village). Others were dispersed in the poorer part of the city among the white working class (e.g., Little Africa). The settlement patterns of other Black communities, in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, are not yet known. This paper will explore the factors that may have influenced the decision to create segregated or dispersed  landscapes (or another form) in other boroughs. Was there a common settlement strategy? What formed the core(s) around which Black New Yorkers aggregated?

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023   •
• Historical Archaeology of Cities: Unearthing Complexity in Urban Landscapes

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow