New Amsterdam, 1644. After nearly two decades of labor for the Dutch West India Company, Manuel de Gerrit de Reus and ten other enslaved men petition the colonial government for freedom. The decision grants the adults greater control over their families, labor, and land—but preserves the Company’s authority and leaves their children enslaved.
Based on the documented life of Manuel de Gerrit de Reus, The Free Dockworker of New Amsterdam examines the complicated system later known as half-freedom. Through Manuel’s experiences at the waterfront, in colonial courts, and before the New Netherland Council, the narrative invites readers to consider how Black residents used petitions, testimony, land, labor, and written records to press for greater autonomy within an unequal legal system.
Manuel and the 1644 petition are documented history. The waterfront scenes, dialogue, and private reflections are carefully identified as narrative reconstruction.