The History of Slavery in Morris County

Michael Snyder will explore the local interconnectivity of Morris County’s towns in relation to each other and the citizens who participated in enslavement. We will look at the slave owners and the enslaved, who they were, how they lived, how they were treated, the rifts slavery caused in the community, and the debate about slavery within the press. It will also explore how history is told, the marginalization of the enslaved, and the commemoration of slavery in the area.

This event is in-person and registration is requested.

Michael Snyder is a graduate of Rutger University-Newark where he received his Bachelor’s degree in 2012 graduating Summa Cum Laude as a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Alpha Theta. He was the recipient of the David Michael Friedlander Award for academic achievement from the History Department at Rutgers Newark. At a young age, Mike’s parents instilled in him a natural curiosity of history. Mike finished his Graduate studies at Rutgers Newark in 2017. His undergraduate work focused on the intersection of film and history and he has presented his papers including “Forrest Under Fire: Critical Responses to ‘Forrest Gump’ (1996)” and “The Changes in Masculinity in John Ford’s Westerns: 1939-1961” at several conferences. Mike shifted his focus to the history of slavery in Morris County after taking classes with the late, great Dr. Clement Price and visionary public historian Dr. Lyra Monteiro. He completed a graduate paper “Inquire with the Printer: The Slavery Debate in Morris County, NJ 1776-1864” in 2016 and his Master’s Essay “The Enslaved Slept Here Too: A Public History of Slavery in Morris County” in 2017.

Offered in partnership with Chatham’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Advisory Committee.

Photo credit: 1763 home of Thomas Cadmus in Essex County, New Jersey; the loft of the smaller building was used as slave quarters. - Wikipedia

Fulsom, Joseph F. et al., Public domain