Res. No. 734
Resolution calling on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, S.1660/A.10463, which would acknowledge the tragedy of slavery in New York State and offer a formal apology from the State of New York for its role in perpetuating slavery
By Council Member Williams
Whereas, Slavery has a long history in the State of New York, beginning in 1626 when 11 enslaved men were brought to the state by the Dutch West India Company and were tasked with building roads, clearing land, and setting up infrastructure; and
Whereas, New York’s first slave market opened on Wall Street in 1711; and
Whereas, By 1730, 42 percent of the population in New York City alone owned slaves, a higher percentage than that of almost any other city in the country, second only to Charleston, South Carolina; and
Whereas, New York’s economy benefitted greatly from not only the unpaid labor of slaves within its borders but beyond; for example, southern cotton and sugar were shipped overseas from its harbors; and
Whereas, In addition to the exporting of material goods, the City’s harbor also became a hub for the transatlantic slave trade, benefiting New York merchants, shipbuilders, insurance companies, and banks; and
Whereas, New York State not only legalized the enslavement of African people and their descendants, but also enacted "slave codes," levied taxes on the sale of enslaved persons, and enacted fines payable to local governments or poor house administrators for violations of the "slave codes;" and
Whereas, In 1799 the New York State Legislature passed an “Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery” which granted gradual freedom to all children born of enslaved women after July 4, 1799; and
Whereas, Children were required to serve a period of indenture to the enslavers; males until the age of 28; females until the age of 25, after which they would become free; and
Whereas, Complete freedom for enslaved individuals was not achieved in New York until 1827; and
Whereas, New York State was one of the last Northern states to abolish slavery, doing so decades after other states such as Vermont, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts; and
Whereas, Even after complete statewide abolition, the federal Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 allowed for the kidnapping of escaped Black people seeking refuge in the state, after which they would be sent back into Southern slavery; and
Whereas, This act also levied fines and prison sentences against anyone caught providing food, shelter, or assistance to escaped slaves; and
Whereas, During the Draft Riots of 1863, groups of white people in New York City committed lynchings and burned down homes, attacking dozens of Black residents and abolitionist institutions; and
Whereas, New York State should acknowledge and apologize for its role in upholding the atrocity that is slavery, the ramifications of which were still felt by Black people in the aftermath of emancipation, and continue to impact the lives of their descendants long after abolition; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, S.1660/A.10463, which would acknowledge the tragedy of slavery in New York State and offer a formal apology from the State of New York for its role in perpetuating slavery.
WD
11/4/2026
LS 26161