Abolition Commemoration Day in New York State Date in the current year: July 14, 2025

Slavery in what would become New York began as part of the Dutch slave trade after the establishment of the Dutch colony of New Netherland that relied heavily on African slaves due to a lack of workers. In 1664, the English took over the colony and continued importing slaves because they still needed people to perform various jobs.

Between 1702 and 1730, the Province of New York passed a series of slave codes to regulate slavery. The first code consisted of six clauses and was subsequently expanded in response to the New York Slave Revolt of 1712 and the Chesapeake rebellion of 1730.

During the American Revolution, the British occupied New York City in 1776 and offered slaves freedom in exchange for fighting for them. Many slaves accepted the British offer. Although Great Britain lost the war, about 3,000 Black Loyalists were freed and evacuated to Nova Scotia for resettlement.

In 1781, New York State followed suit and offered slaveholders a financial incentive to let their slaves serve in the Revolutionary Army in exchange for freedom. The state legislature voted to free slaves who had fought with the rebels for three years or who were honorably discharged during the Revolutionary War.

The New York Manumission Society was founded in 1785 to promote gradual emancipation and advocate for free people of color. By 1790, approximately one-third of all Black individuals in New York State were free. In 1799, the state legislature passed a gradual emancipation law. Under this law, living slaves were not freed, and their children were required to work for their mother’s owner until they turned 25 (for women) or 28 (for men), or until July 4, 1827, whichever came first.

The last slaves were emancipated in New York on July 4, 1827. The next day, African Americans celebrated their freedom with a parade. They chose to celebrate on July 5 instead of July 4 because Independence Day was not considered a holiday for Black people, and the newly freed African Americans feared they would be victims of racist violence if they celebrated on July 4.

These Fifth of July celebrations continued for several decades, though on a smaller scale after the anti-abolitionist riots in New York in 1834. In the second half of the 19th century, the celebrations gradually merged with those on August 1, which commemorate the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire.

In 2019, the New York State Branches of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) revived the Fifth of July celebration. The initiate was supported by the state legislature: in 2020, the New York State Assembly passed legislation recognizing Abolition Commemoration Day, celebrated on the second Monday in July, and Juneteenth in New York State. Juneteenth has since been recognized as a federal holiday, while Abolition Commemoration Day continues to be celebrated as a state holiday in New York.