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African or American? - Black Identity and Political Activism in New York City, 1784-1861 (Paperback)
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African or American? - Black Identity and Political Activism in New York City, 1784-1861 (Paperback)
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During the early national and antebellum eras, black leaders in New
York City confronted the tenuous nature of Northern emancipation.
Despite the hope of freedom, black New Yorkers faced a series of
sociopolitical issues including the persistence of Southern
slavery, the threat of forced removal, racial violence, and the
denial of American citizenship. Even efforts to create community
space within the urban landscape, such as the African Burial Ground
and Seneca Village, were eventually demolished to make way for the
city's rapid development. In this illuminating history, Leslie M.
Alexander chronicles the growth and development of black activism
in New York from the formation of the first black organization, the
African Society, in 1784 to the eve of the Civil War in 1861. In
this critical period, black activists sought to formulate an
effective response to their unequal freedom. Examining black
newspapers, speeches, and organizational records, this study
documents the creation of mutual relief, religious, and political
associations, which black men and women infused with African
cultural traditions and values.As Alexander reveals, conflicts over
early black political strategy foreshadowed critical ideological
struggles that would bedevil the black leadership for generations
to come. Initially, black leaders advocated racial uplift through a
sense of communalism and connection to their African heritage. Yet
by the antebellum era, black activists struggled to reconcile their
African identity with a growing desire to gain American
citizenship. Ultimately, this battle resulted in competing agendas;
while some leaders argued that the black community should dedicate
themselves to moral improvement and American citizenship, others
began to consider emigrating to Africa or Haiti. In the end, the
black leadership resolved to assert an American identity and to
expand their mission for full equality and citizenship in the
United States. This decision marked a crucial turning point in
black political strategy, for it signaled a new phase in the quest
for racial advancement and fostered the creation of a nascent Black
Nationalism.
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