John Jay and Alexander Hamilton: Two New York Founders and Black Enslavement in the Early Republic

In this groundbreaking study, Arthur Scherr examines the positions on slavery held by two of the most famous New Yorkers of the early American Republic: John Jay and Alexander Hamilton. Using Hamilton’s 1779 proposal to free Southern slaves on the condition that they fight in the Continental Army as a starting point, Scherr assesses the pair’s positions on enslavement. Utilizing often-untouched resources, Scherr offers a re-evaluation of Hamilton and Jay’s modern status as antislavery icons.

Arthur Scherr taught at the City University of New York, USA. He is the author of several critically acclaimed books, including Thomas Jefferson’s Haitian Policy: Myths and Realities (2011), John Adams, Slavery, and Race: Ideas, Politics, and Diplomacy in an Age of Crisis (2018) and Rightful Liberty: Slavery, Morality, and Thomas Jefferson’s World (2021).