It was not until just before the English conquest, the West India Company’s slave labor worked at jobs, which benefited the town (Goodfriend, p.130). Slaves were at first used for private entrepreneurs throughout New Amsterdam (Goodfriend, p.126). Goodfriend writes about how company slaves were assigned to various jobs such as constructing a wagon road, and even reinforce the defense of the community. If the Dutch had never put the slaves to alternative modes of labor, there is no telling if the English would have the thought that idea up on their own. Slaves became extremely more valuable that they could be utilized for more than just one …show more content…
142). In Goodfriend’s writing, she talks about how individuals in all economic classes, excluding the lowest one owned slaves. This was important because it gave most people a chance to try to own a slave, which can be a very essential asset to many. In 1652, owning a slave became even more special because the West India Company granted the residents of Manhattan the privilege of engaging in a direct trade to Africa (Goodfriend p.143). Allowing that trade to happen was not only necessary for the residents of Manhattan because it was a new way to profit, but also necessary for those in the future because it opened a new door for people to trade slaves, something that could not have been done before. The Dutch implemented new ideas that not only the English used, but that were used for years to come, and did not receive half the credit they should