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The New York Times and The Smithsonian Magazine have both reported on the research of @Utterly_Jessie, who published an essay about Alexander Hamilton's ownership of enslaved people, his legal work on behalf of other enslavers, and his work as a slave trader.
Some are asking, why didn't we know this before? In addition to @Utterly_Jessie's description of her own research path, I'd like to share that when I was working on my first book, in 1998, and asked a question at a papers' project about John Jay's ownership of enslaved people--
I was handed a nicely printed copy of Henry Laurens' speech about gradually emancipating enslaved people, and escorted to the door (metaphorically speaking. In other words: no one there wanted me to research this question. (No, it was not the Henry Laurens Paper Project.)
Second question: But they were members of the New York Manumission Society!! Weren't they against slavery? Yes. And: Shane White's first book *Somewhat More Independent,* estimated that if Manumission Society members had freed their own slaves--
--they would have freed 10% of the enslaved people of New York City. As a group, they did not--and in fact, ownership of enslaved people in NYC increased after passage of the 1799 Gradual Emancipation Law, according to White.
Third: historians who study the traditional "Founding Fathers" are not as well-versed in the reading of sources for slavery, particularly when looking in the northern states. @Utterly_Jessie's work demonstrates the necessity of knowing what you're looking at--
--questioning what you're looking for (what are my assumptions?) as well as being open to new information. What's wonderful about @Utterly_Jessie's work as well is that she works for the @SchuylerMansion, which along with other historic sites--
--are increasingly open to doing research into slavery, discussing its centrality to the history, and helping their visitors and the general public understand the diverse, complex histories that are part of our nation.
Here, I will also give a shout out to an historic site I've worked with closely, @HHValley, and its amazing website People not Property. And I'll also note--there's always something new waiting for us in the archives! /end https://peoplenotproperty.hudsonvalley.org
