Hub City: Slavery in New Brunswick

“Hub City: Urban Slavery in New Brunswick, New Jersey” follows the lives of enslaved individuals of the Hub City through the early nineteenth century. This period was a time of incredible change and transformation in New Brunswick, which turned into a bustling center of trade. The international and interstate slave trade also grew into a part of the larger commercial enterprises in the area. Enslaved individuals moved between rural and urban landscapes, performed a variety of jobs, and lived an area where the lines between freedom and enslavement became blurred. The Act for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery in New Jersey changed the ways in which the slave trading industry operated, and changed the futures of many enslaved individuals in New Brunswick. Powerful individuals and organizations in New Jersey had conflicting ideologies on the institution of slavery, and these powers greatly affected enslaved individuals in the region.  “Hub City: Urban Slavery in New Brunswick, New Jersey” tells the story of enslaved individuals who moved through the New Brunswick area, and the precarious circumstances they lived under during the early nineteenth century.