New York had, by far, the largest enslaved population of any colony or state in the North, and was nearly the last to abolish the institution. But in his new book, Michael J. Douma challenges much of the conventional wisdom about this subject. In a series of chapters hailed for their methodological innovation, Douma uses fresh demographic and economic data to go beyond the few government records and collections of huge landowning families that have supplied most of what is previously known. He argues, in short, that slavery in New York was a great deal “more Dutch” than we realize, arguing that wealthy descendants of the colonial regime dominated the institution across the British era and well into the early American republic. They also succeeded in holding off the growing force of antislavery, Douma says, because — contrary to what is usually said — the institution was generally profitable, did not rely on importation for expansion, and was rooted firmly in commercial agriculture. Described as “brilliantly researched” (Shane White) and “much-needed antidote” (Jaap Jacobs), The Slow Death of Slavery in Dutch New York is sure to spur debate and reshape the historiography for years to come.

Nicole Maskiell, author of Bound by Bondage: Slavery and the Creation of a Northern Gentry, joins in conversation.