Celebrating Freedom: A Lecture by Sherrill D. Wilson

July 4, 1827 was the legal and official beginning of the emancipation of African enslaved people in New York City, although some did not gain full freedom until nearly 20 years later. Africans had been enslaved in the colony of New Amsterdam (and later New York) since 1623, more than 200 years. This slide lecture focuses on the formerly enslaved Africans, their institutions and organizations, and their celebrations of emancipation, from July 5, 1827 through the end of the Civil War. Parades, church attendance, elaborate dinners and other festivities marked the celebration of freedom for over 50 years, many of which took place in the Village. Part of the 2013 Program Series: Marking the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.