Ship Journey: 1664 - Gideon

Ship Name
Gideon
Arrival Date
1664-08-14
Ship Journey Information

Notes on Language

The Gideon brought 290 enslaved people to New Amsterdam on behalf of the Dutch West India Company, possibly one of the largest shipments of human beings during the period of Dutch control of New Amsterdam.  There 153 men and 137 women who had survived the 'middle passage' to arrive in New Amsterdam.    In 1664 when they arrived, the total population of enslaved people in New Amsterdam has been estimated at 200-400 total, so this event represented a significant increase in the enslaved population.   

In 1663 the ship was chartered to go from Holland to Africa with the express purpose of bringing enslaved people to New Netherland.  https://encyclopedia.nahc-mapping.org/document/charter-party-ship-gideon-voyage-holland-africa 

July 21, 1664, a Bill of Lading shows that 300 enslaved people were loaded into the hold of the ship in Curacao:  https://encyclopedia.nahc-mapping.org/document/bill-lading-300-slaves-loaded-curacao-new-netherland

The ship arrived August 14, 1664:  Certificate of the landing at New Amsterdam, on the 14th August, of 290 slaves (153 men and 137 women) from the ship Gideon, on account of the W. I. Company. 

By September of 1664, the ship's Captain was protesting that Stuyvesant was detaining the ship.  https://encyclopedia.nahc-mapping.org/document/protest-captain-ship-gideon-against-director-stuyvesant-refusing-allow-him-depart-his