Colonial New York Slave Codes: Pedro's Walk (with text supports)

By 1740, almost twenty percent of New York's population was African American and roughly half of white households owned at least one slave. While slaves were forced to live and work alongside whites, they sought out the company of other African Americans. In the city’s narrow, bustling streets, enslaved people, especially men, walked great distances, did jobs for their masters, visited family, and learned news of the town. White leaders tried to control the slave population by passing laws that limited where they could go and what they could do. But, as the following account shows, slaves often risked punishment and resisted the laws.

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