Many people don't realize that slavery was widespread across the Americas, even in what is now the Northeastern U.S.
A new exhibit at a state historic site across the Hudson River from Albany tells the story of the extensive slave trade that existed when New York was a Dutch colony.
The exhibit is titled "A Dishonorable Trade: Human Trafficking in the Dutch Atlantic World" and it's on display at the Crailo State Historic Site in Rensselaer. Regular tours begin May 11th.
The exhibit, open by appointment during the winter, traces the history of slavery in New York from when the first Africans were brought to Manhattan in the 17th century to July 4, 1827, when the last of the remaining slaves in New York state were set free. Many of the slaves brought upstate were owned by the wealthy Dutch families who had vast land holdings in the Albany area.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press
