Author L. Lloyd Stewart will give a presentation from his book "A Far Cry from Freedom," which details the convoluted laws and politics of gradual emancipation in New York State. While New Yorkers often pride themselves on the early law of 1799 for abolition of slavery, most do not realize that its elaborate provisions actually extended slavery for twenty eight years. The month of July thus became a bitter one for New York's enslaved African Americans, for the emancipation date was twenty eight years in the future -- July 4, 1827.
The author, a native of Albany, has written and lectured widely on African American history and the hypocrisy of the State's gradual emancipation laws.
This free program is a joint program of the Seward Restoration Committee and the Library; it is open to all adults and teens.