Book Sheds Light on Black Elite in 19th Century New York

'Black Gotham' explores the experiences of African-Americans who lived free in the north, while the slavery debate raged in the south

February 25, 2011

Prominent black businessman George Downing and other members of New York’s black elite tried to establish themselves as full Americans, not merely as 'Africans.'

Much of the history of black 19th-Century New York has been lost, in part because it was eclipsed in the popular imagination by the saga of southern slavery. Additionally, mostly-white academic historians minimized the contributions of African-Americans. And no comprehensive archive of black life existed until the 20th Century, when the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture was established.

Peterson's ancestors were distinguished members of the city’s black elite and she felt theirs was a powerful story that needed to be told. She spent 11 years researching and writing her book.

'Black Gotham' author Carla Peterson

"Writing this book was very important to me," says Peterson. "It was a journey of hard work, but also of love and passion."

Led by free blacks such as clergyman Alexander Crummell, newspaper editor Charles Ray and businessman George Downing, members of New York’s black elite tried to establish themselves as full Americans, not merely as "Africans" or "coloreds" as black slaves had once been called and called themselves.