<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article is incomplete . Please help to improve it, or discuss the issue on the talk page . (July 2016) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article is incomplete . Please help to improve it, or discuss the issue on the talk page . (July 2016) </Td> </Tr> <P> Historically, the enslavement of overwhelmingly African people in the United States, began in New York as part of the Dutch slave trade . The Dutch West India Company imported 11 African slaves to New Amsterdam in 1626, with the first slave auction being held in New Amsterdam in 1655 . The last slaves were freed on July 4, 1827, although many black New Yorkers continued to serve as bound apprentices to their mothers' masters . </P> <P> The British expanded the use of slavery, and in 1703, more than 42 percent of New York City households held slaves, often as domestic servants and laborers . This was the second - highest proportion of any city in the colonies after Charleston, South Carolina . Others worked as artisans or in shipping and various trades in the city . Slaves were also used in farming on Long Island and in the Hudson Valley, as well as the Mohawk Valley . </P>

When did slavery end in new york state