John Jay and Alexander Hamilton on Black Enslavement: New York Founders in a Revolutionary Age

by Arthur Scherr

Overview

In this groundbreaking study, Arthur Scherr examines the positions on slavery held by two of the most famous New Yorkers of the early American Republic: John Jay and Alexander Hamilton. Using Hamilton's 1779 proposal to free Southern slaves on the condition that they fight in the Continental Army as a starting point, Scherr assesses the pair’s positions on enslavement. Utilizing often-untouched resources, Scherr offers a re-evaluation of Hamilton and Jay’s modern status as antislavery icons.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783031717970
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan
Publication date:	01/10/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Arthur Scherr taught at the City University of New York, USA. He is the author of several critically acclaimed books, including Thomas Jefferson’s Haitian Policy: Myths and Realities (2011), John Adams, Slavery, and Race: Ideas, Politics, and Diplomacy in an Age of Crisis (2018), and Rightful Liberty: Slavery, Morality, and Thomas Jefferson’s World (2021).

Table of Contents

Part I John Jay And Slavery: A Closer Look At The Founder And The Historians.- Chapter 1. Introduction: John Jay and Enslavement.- Chapter 2. Historians and The Debate Over John Jay’s Antislavery Credentials.- Chapter 3. Jay’s Attitude Toward Slavery: Fact Versus Fiction.- Chapter 4. Jay’s Pragmatic Gubernatorial Campaign (1792).- Chapter 5. Jay’s Failure To Address The Question Of Slavery As Governor Of New York.- Chapter 6. Jay And New York’s 1799 Emancipation Law.- Chapter 7. Jay’s Attitude Toward Slavery In Old Age.- Chapter 8. John Jay And Slavery: Conclusion.- Part II Alexander Hamilton and Black Enslavement: A Reappraisal.- Chapter 9. Introduction: Slavery and Hamilton Today.- Chapter 10. Hamiltonian Historiography On Slavery Over The Years.- Chapter 11. Hamilton, Slavery, and African Americans during the Revolutionary Era.- Chapter 12. Hamilton On Slavery In The National Arena During The 1780s-1790s.- Chapter 13. Hamilton’s Ambivalent Role in the New-York Manumission Society.- Chapter 14. Mme. Volunbrun, Hamilton, and the New-York Manumission Society (1801-1802).- Chapter 15. The Volunbrun Affair: Denouement.- Chapter 16. Hamilton’s Role in the Volunbrun Case.- Chapter 17. Hamilton and Louverture’s Haitian Revolution.- Chapter 18. The Young Ralph Case and Hamilton’s Ultimate Defense of Slavery.- Chapter 19. Conclusion: The Flawed Antislavery Legacy Of Hamilton And Jay.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“America owes a great deal to Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. But as much as we might wish otherwise, we owe them little as opponents of slavery. Arthur Scherr’s impressive new book makes clear that these Federalists, much like their Republican rivals, were prisoners of a tyrannical system they neither created nor were able to summon the power to destroy.” (Robert M. S. McDonald, Professor of History, United States Military Academy)