African_Burial_Ground_National_Monument

African Burial Ground National Monument

African Burial Ground National Monument at Duane Street and African Burial Ground Way (Elk Street) in Lower Manhattan (New York City) preserves a site containing the remains of over 400 African Americans buried during the 17th and 18th centuries.

African Americans in New York City

Slavery in the New York City area was introduced by the Dutch in New Netherland in the early 1600s. Africans were imported only as slaves, but some became half-free during Dutch times, before New Amsterdam was captured by the British in 1664. Perth Amboy in New Jersey was a busy duty-free center for the importation of slaves. During the Revolutionary war, there were about 10,000 Africans in New York.

New York abolished slavery in 1827; New Jersey abolished slavery only gradually, substituting indentureship for slavery in 1804, and at the time of the American Civil War there were former slaves who were still "indentured for life" in New Jersey.

Discovery of site and controversy

The remains were found in 1991 during the construction of the Foley Square Federal Office Building. Construction was halted in order to properly preserve the remains. A redesign of the building was ordered to provide adequate room for a memorial. On April 19, 1993, the site was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Historians believe the site to have been the interment location for as many as 15,000 to 20,000 African-American men, women, and children over the years of its use, which stretched from the 17th century to its closure in 1812. New York Governor David Paterson is reported to have dubbed the grounds "our Ellis Island".

The construction project became controversial because some believed the research design originally proposed was not adequate. It did not have a plan for the treatment of uncovered remains. In addition, the African-American descendant community in New York City was not consulted in the development of the research design, nor were any archaeologists with experience studying the African diaspora. After protests from a coalition of community members, politicians, and scholars, control of the burial site was transferred to Michael Blakey and his team at Howard University for study.

Memorial

On February 27, 2006, President George W. Bush signed a proclamation designating the federal land as the 123rd National Monument. It was the 390th unit of the National Park System.

As part of the dedication ceremonies, Elk Street was officially renamed African Burial Ground Way.

A design competition attracted 61 proposals for a site memorial. The winning memorial design was chosen in June 2004 and was dedicated on October 5, 2007. The grounds serve as a location for various cultural exhibitions and events throughout the year.

The memorial design for a granite monument was by Haitian-American architect Rodney Leon. It is titled The Door of Return, in reference to The Door of No Return, a name given to slave ports on the coast of West Africa. The monument was dedicated in a ceremony presided by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and poet Maya Angelou.