New York African Free School Expands and Educates Hundreds of Black Children

The New York African Free School, established by the New York Manumission Society in 1787, grew significantly in the early 1800s, educating hundreds of Black children in New York City. The school produced many notable alumni who became leaders in abolitionism, the arts, and professional life, including Henry Highland Garnet and Ira Aldridge. It represented one of the most sustained early efforts at formal Black education in the United States.