Four New Yorkers Inducted into National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum for Efforts to Combat Slavery
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) Commissioner Kathy Moser today announced that William Jay and John Jay II, descendants of American patriot John Jay of New York, were officially inducted into the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum (NAHOF) in Peterboro, NY, on October 24. The Jays were inducted along with the prominent African American abolitionists William Wells Brown and Samuel Ringgold Ward. The induction ceremony capped off a full day of tours, lectures, and information sharing centered on the abolitionist movement.
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Moser said, “The history of New York’s Jay family is an important reminder that our nation’s path toward freedom and equality was neither simple nor straightforward. At John Jay Homestead State Historic Site, we are proud to preserve and share that complex history, from John Jay’s legacy as both a founding father and enslaver to the abolitionist work of his son William and grandson John Jay II. We celebrate this well-deserved recognition of the Jay family’s lasting contributions to the fight against slavery.”
Thomas Bennett, Induction Committee Chair and member of the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum Cabinet of Freedom, said, "At its Induction Day event on October 24, the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum in Peterboro added four new members to the ranks of the historic abolitionists who have thus far been honored. This brings the total number of inductees to 36. William Wells Brown, William Jay, John Jay II, and Samuel Ringgold Ward all made significant contributions to ending enslavement, and much of their work was conducted in New York State. Peterboro was the lifelong home of Gerrit Smith, one of the most consequential leaders of the abolition movement. Abolitionists came there from across the nation seeking his financial assistance and counsel. Because of that, Peterboro became an epicenter of the movement to eliminate slavery in the United States. Today, NAHOF celebrates these heroic individuals by honoring their lives and legacy and educating the public about their role in the struggle for human rights in America."
Founded in 2004, NAHOF hosts an induction ceremony every two years. The Hall of Fame, located in the building where the New York Anti-Slavery Society was organized in 1835, now features 36 inductees.
Revolutionary War leader John Jay (1745-1829) helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris, in which Britain recognized American independence. Afterward, he co-authored the Federalist Papers, served as the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and later became governor of New York, where he passed legislation in 1799 for the state’s gradual abolition of slavery over the next three decades. Known for his anti-slavery views, John Jay was also an enslaver – a paradox that historians still explore today.
John Jay’s son William Jay (1789-1858), served as a judge and began his efforts against slavery in the 1820s. Co-founder of both the American Anti-Slavery Society and the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, he provided shelter to freedom seekers escaping slavery and legal aid to free Black people who were wrongfully imprisoned. He was later removed as a judge in retaliation.
Inspired by his father and grandfather, John Jay II (1817-1894) became involved in the abolition movement as a college student. He was active in the Underground Railroad, a network that helped enslaved people escape bondage, and worked with the Albany site operated by Stephen and Harriet Myers, now the Underground Railroad Education Center.
William Jay and John Jay II were nominated to the Hall of Fame by John Jay Homestead State Historic Site Director Heather Iannucci. OPRHP operates the John Jay Homestead State Historic Site in the Hamlet of Katonah, Westchester County, NY. In addition, the 23-acre Jay Estate, the boyhood home of John Jay, is operated by the Jay Heritage Center (JHC). A National Historic Landmark, the Jay Estate is additionally owned by New York State Parks and Westchester County Parks.
William Wells Brown, a formerly enslaved African American who escaped north to live in Buffalo, where he became a prominent anti-slavery author and orator. Brown operated a steamship that carried freedom seekers to safety in Canada, wrote a narrative about his enslavement, and authored a novel about the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and the enslaved Sally Hemmings, which was the first novel by an African American to be published. Brown was nominated to the Hall of Fame by Patrick Ryan, cultural curator of the Richardson-Olmsted Campus National Historic Landmark in Buffalo.
Samuel Ringgold Ward settled in New York after escaping slavery and became a pastor and orator for the American Anti-Slavery Society. He aided in the rescue of a fugitive slave in Syracuse, edited an abolitionist newspaper, and worked in England to raise money for the abolitionist cause. In 1848, he was nominated to be New York abolitionist Gerrit Smith’s vice-presidential running mate on the Liberty Party ticket, making Ward the first African American man nominated for national political office. Ward was nominated to the Hall of Fame by Butler Town Historian Lori Schmidt.
In 1627, the first 22 enslaved Africans were brought to present-day Manhattan by the Dutch West Indies Company. Enslaved people lived and worked on all the colonial-era historic sites now under the stewardship of OPRHP’s Bureau of Historic Sites. Through State Parks’ “Our Whole History initiative,” new and ongoing research about this important history is shared via exhibits, tours, and programs. Learn more at https://parks.ny.gov/history/our-whole-history.
In 2027, OPRHP will recognize the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans to New York and the 200th anniversary of the end of legalized slavery in the state as part of the “Enslavement to Freedom: 1627-1827-2027” initiative. Learn more at https://parks.ny.gov/history/black-history.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites, recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches and more, and welcomes over 86 million visitors annually. For more information on any of these recreation areas, visit parks.ny.gov, download the free NY State Parks Explorer app or call 518.474.0456. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, the OPRHP Blog or via the OPRHP Newsroom.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
