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Enslavement and Autonomy in Late Eighteenth-Century Albany, New York

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Abstract

In 1998, Hartgen Archeological Associates, Inc., excavated the remains of the John Bogart House basement in downtown Albany, New York. Archaeologists found a small artifact-filled barrel buried below the floor adjacent to an interior dividing wall. Most striking were the number of sharp and modified objects within this barrel and elsewhere under the basement floor that were likely hidden or lost by enslaved African Americans who occupied the space during the late 18th century. Albany underwent a dramatic social and political transformation at the end of the 18th century, causing anxiety and tension with the city. Within this uncertain post-Revolutionary climate, Albany’s African American community expressed a measure of public autonomy through the Pinkster festival. At the same time, African Americans at the Bogart House were carefully curating multivalent objects to express personal autonomy and group identity in the face of often violent repression.

Resumen

En el año 1998, Hartgen Archeological Associates, Inc., excavó los restos del sótano de la Casa de John Bogart en el centro de Albany, Nueva York. Los arqueólogos encontraron un pequeño barril lleno de artefactos enterrado debajo del piso adyacente a una pared divisoria interior. Lo más sorprendente fue la cantidad de objetos afilados y modificados dentro de este barril y en otras partes debajo del piso del sótano que probablemente fueron escondidos o perdidos por los afroamericanos esclavizados que ocuparon el espacio durante la década de 1790. Albany experimentó una transformación social y política dramática a fines del siglo XVIII, lo que provocó ansiedad y tensión en la ciudad. Dentro de este clima posrevolucionario incierto, la comunidad afroamericana de Albany expresó cierta autonomía pública a través del festival Pinkster. Al mismo tiempo, los afroamericanos en la Casa de Bogart seleccionaban cuidadosamente objetos polivalentes para expresar la autonomía personal y la identidad grupal frente a la represión, a menudo violenta.

Résumé

En 1998, Hartgen Archeological Associates, Inc., a procédé à des fouilles dans le sous-sol de la John Bogart House dans le centre ville d'Albany, New York. Les archéologues y ont trouvé un petit tonneau rempli d'artéfacts sous le sol adjacent à un mur intérieur de séparation. Le plus surprenant était le nombre d'objets pointus et modifiés dans ce tonneau et ailleurs sous le plancher de ce sous-sol qui furent vraisemblablement cachés ou perdus par des Africains-Américains esclaves ayant occupé l'espace au cours des années 1790. Albany a connu une transformation politique et sociale dramatique à la fin du 18ème siècle, source d'anxiété et de tension avec la ville. Dans ce climat post-révolutionnaire incertain, la communauté Africaine-Américaine a exprimé un certaine autonomie publique grâce au festival Pinkster. Concomitamment, les Africains-Américains de la Bogart House créaient avec soin des objets polyvalents pour exprimer leur autonomie personnelle et leur identité de groupe face à une répression souvent violente.

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Acknowledgments:

An early draft of this article was reviewed by Christopher Fennell, Michael Gall, Mark Leone, Chris Matthews, and Patricia Samford, who provided helpful insights, suggestions, and critique of the first draft. Their thoughtful reviews were very helpful, and we are thankful for their willingness to offer their time and considerable expertise in the development of the final article. We also thank the three anonymous reviewers who provided comments and critiques that strengthened the revised version substantially. Susan Winchell-Sweeney’s GIS reconstruction of Bogart House layout, features, and context locations from primary archaeological data was very helpful to the analysis and illustration of the site, and we thank her for her efforts.

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Lucas, M., Kirk, M. Enslavement and Autonomy in Late Eighteenth-Century Albany, New York. Hist Arch 57, 885–911 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41636-023-00424-0

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