New Yorkers Honor Enslaved Africans/Freedmen
In 1991, unearthed, at a construction site of a federal office building in lower Manhattan, was a 17th/18th century burial ground for enslaved Africans and Freedmen.
The cemetery, now a historic landmark known as the African Burial Ground National Monument, located at Duane Street and African Burial Way in the borough of Manhattan — two short blocks from City Hall (see map at the bottom). Historians estimate that the area could be the resting place for up to 20,000 enslaved Africans and Freedmen.
The 6.6 acres are labelled “Negros Burial Ground” on a photographed reproduction of a map published by Francis W. Maerschalck in 1755.
For many, the word slavery conjures up images of huge Southern plantations with large trees and cotton fields, but little has it been known that New York State was one of the largest slave holding states until 1827.
On July 4th 1827, New York became the first state to pass a law to end slavery. New York’s unpaid enslaved population, one fourth of the workers in New York City — had a major impact on its development and growth.
As we enter into this new age of education and the recognition of the wrongs, as it historically relates to African Americans, many similar discoveries will be unraveled.
For centuries, the acknowledgement of our dark past seems to be unacceptable to many who continue to portray the United States as a country founded on the principal of “liberty and justice for all.” It has been, regretfully, painful for descendants of the enslaved African people that that principal has not been available to them.
For many reasons, we, United States of American citizens, are still grappling with the contradictions found in our own constitution written by the founding fathers.
This is a new era in which we are coming to terms with the painful past and moving forward with the undeniable truth that all men are created equal.
Where to find the African Burial Ground National Monument
The African Burial Ground National Monument is located on the first floor of the Ted Weiss Federal Building.
290 Broadway, 1st Floor
Between Duane Street and Reade Street
New York, NY 10007
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