Who Should Rule at Home?: Confronting the Elite in British New York City

The high-ranking gentlemen who dominated New York City's evolution from 1664 to 1776 were not invincible, and their cultural power has been exaggerated. Joyce D. Goodfriend highlights the conflicts that pitted the privileged few against the socially anonymous many who resisted domination through independent religious choices, wives deserting husbands, indentured servants complaining or running away, enslaved women and men carving out spaces, and impoverished individuals refusing to bow to the elite. Descendants of the early Dutch settlers also confronted the elite, preserving a sense of autonomy by clinging to their native language and traditional faith.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 21 June 2022
Publisher: Cornell University Press

The high-ranking gentlemen who played a significant role in New York City's transformation from 1664, when the English captured the small Dutch outpost of New Amsterdam, to the eve of American independence in 1776, were far from invincible, as argued by Joyce D. Goodfriend. The cultural power they held has been exaggerated. The urban elite faced challenges to its cultural authority at different times, from various groups, and in diverse settings.

Goodfriend sheds light on the conflicts that pitted the privileged few against the socially anonymous many who mobilized their modest resources to creatively resist domination. Critics of orthodox religious practice, inspired by the renowned evangelist George Whitefield, were empowered to make independent religious choices. Wives deserted husbands and took control of their own futures. Indentured servants complained or simply ran away. Enslaved women and men carved out spaces where they could control their own lives and salvage their dignity. Impoverished individuals, including prostitutes, chose not to bow to the dictates of the elite, even though it meant being cut off from the sources of charity.

Among those who confronted the elite were descendants of the early Dutch settlers. By clinging to their native language and traditional faith, they preserved a crucial sense of autonomy.

Weight: 28g
Dimension: 229 x 152 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501764578