Final answer:
The practice of half-freedom in Dutch-controlled New Netherlands during the seventeenth century allowed some enslaved Africans to have certain rights and freedoms, while still being considered as property. It was a complex system that aimed to maintain social order and profit for the Dutch West India Company.
Step-by-step explanation:
The practice of half-freedom in Dutch-controlled New Netherlands during the seventeenth century refers to the status of African slaves who were granted certain rights and freedoms, while still being legally considered as property. Slaves with half-freedom were allowed to work for wages, own property, and even enter into contracts, but they still had to answer to their masters and were not completely free.
This system of half-freedom allowed the Dutch West India Company to control and profit from the labor of enslaved Africans, while also providing some degree of autonomy to the slaves. It was a complex and exploitative arrangement that aimed to maintain social order within the colony.
An example of the practice of half-freedom was the case of Pierre, an African slave who obtained half-freedom in New Amsterdam in 1661. Pierre was able to work as a carpenter, own his own property, and even buy the freedom of his wife and children.