Perth Amboy in Middlesex County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Enslavement and the Trans-Atlantic Human Trade
Near this site enslaved Africans disembarked at Perth Amboy, the principal port in eastern New Jersey. During colonial times, numerous slave ships such as the Catherine, William, Africa, and Sally were present in the Raritan Bay, sending their captives upon the city pier-now the present-day site of the Historic Ferry Slip. In one day alone, the Catherine arrived with 240 enslaved people, leaving 17 dead at sea, and depositing 130 survivors in Perth Amboy.
In Africa, traders captured approximately 24 million children, women and men, half of whom died on the march to coastal prisons or within the prisons awaiting transport across the Atlantic. Chained and tightly packed in dark, filthy, stifling hot cargo holds, 12 million endured ocean crossings that often took months. During these voyages, known as the Middle Passage, 2 million people died from disease, malnutrition, dehydration, abuse and suicide.
African slavery in New Jersey began with the early Dutch settlement named New Netherland. Ideally suited as a maritime port of entry Perth Amboy, the colonial capital of East Jersey, was an arrival location for ships during the trans-Atlantic human trade. Because the colony of New Jersey imposed no tariff on the importation of captive Africans, many traders disembarked their human cargo at this location, avoiding taxation while supplying buyers in New Jersey and other colonies.
In 1790, New Jersey's enslaved African population was 11,423. It was the last Northern state to adopt gradual emancipation in 1804. By 1854, the Eagleswood section in Perth Amboy became a major station of the Underground Railroad. Slavery was not completely abolished until 1865 by the adoption of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In 2019 Perth Amboy was designated a “Site of Memory" by the UNESCO Slave Route Project.
Erected 2019 by New Jersey African American Heritage Council.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Civil Rights • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1790.
Location. 40° 30.411′ N, 74° 15.733′ W. Marker is in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, in Middlesex County. Marker is at the intersection of Front Street and Smith Street, on the right when traveling north on Front Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 Front Street, Perth Amboy NJ 08861, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Perth Amboy Totenville Ferry Slip (within shouting distance of this marker); City Hall (approx. 0.2 miles away); Surveyor General's Office (approx. 0.2 miles away); Board of Proprietors of the Eastern Division of New Jersey (approx. 0.2 miles away); Record Office (approx. 0.2 miles away); a different marker also named Surveyor General's Office (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Earl of Perth (approx. 0.2 miles away); Perth Amboy City Hall (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Perth Amboy.
Also see . . . 'Uncomfortable, but necessary recognition': Perth Amboy honors enslaved African ancestors. Newspaper article about marker: Oct 4, 2021
An historic Middle Passage port marker was unveiled near the city marina to emphasize Perth Amboy’s role in the trans-Atlantic human trade.(Submitted on October 24, 2021, by David Weintraub of Edison, New Jersey.)
Additional keywords. slavery; human trafficking
Credits. This page was last revised on November 1, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 24, 2021, by David Weintraub of Edison, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 991 times since then and 185 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 24, 2021, by David Weintraub of Edison, New Jersey. 3. submitted on October 31, 2021, by David Weintraub of Edison, New Jersey. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.