Everything about African Burial Ground National Monument totally explained
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
Africans buried during the
17th and
18th centuries.
Africans in New York City
Slavery in the New York City area was introduced by the Dutch in New Netherlands 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 Congressman
David Paterson is reported to have dubbed the grounds "our
Ellis Island". 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 25-foot 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.
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