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New York ends two centuries of slavery; the last enslaved people in the state are free today

Slavery first took root here under Dutch rule in New Amsterdam, and many New Yorkers choose to mark the moment a day late, celebrating with a parade on July 5.

By 1827, slavery had been legal in New York for over two hundred years, since the Dutch first brought enslaved Africans to New Amsterdam. On July 4, 1827, New York's gradual abolition process concluded, freeing the remaining enslaved people in the state. Many chose to mark the moment a day late, celebrating with a big parade on July 5…

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More from July 4

Congress votes: these colonies are free and independent states

Jefferson's declaration passes without dissent; Dunlap's print shop runs off copies tonight for readings across the region.

West Point opens; the republic trains its own officers at last

A small class of cadets enrolls under superintendent Jonathan Williams on ground above the Hudson the Continental Army has held since 1778.

50-star flag rises over Fort McHenry; Hawaii's star joins the banner at last

Eisenhower ordered the new design the moment Hawaii's admission was official last August, and the flag now flying above Baltimore carries the pattern for all 50 states.

A 22-year-old seminary student wrote the stanzas in half an hour after spotting the melody of "God Save the King" in a German songbook.

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More from Expansion & Antebellum

Stanton and Mott open a women's rights convention in Seneca Falls; 300 gather at the Wesleyan Chapel

A Declaration of Sentiments modeled on the Declaration of Independence is read on the first day, its most disputed line demanding the vote for women.

Washington declares the Seminole war over; no one signed anything

General Worth's campaign of burned villages and starved crops empties the Everglades of most Seminole resistance, but a few hundred hold out.

The last French general of the Revolution steps ashore in New York Harbor

Invited by President Monroe to mark fifty years of independence, Lafayette begins a journey that will cover all 24 states.

The Herald tells New York: there is gold in California

Seven months after Marshall's discovery, the East Coast finally reads the story that soon emptied its farms and offices.

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