Enslaved African Burial Ground Project

Enslaved African Burial Ground Project
Name	Enslaved African Burial Ground Project
Established	1991
Location	United States
Type	Archaeology, History, Commemoration

Enslaved African Burial Ground Project The Enslaved African Burial Ground Project refers to archaeological, historical, and commemorative efforts surrounding the recovery, study, and memorialization of burial sites associated with enslaved Africans in North America, notably the African Burial Ground near Broadway in Lower Manhattan discovered during construction. The project connects scholarly fields and public institutions including National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution, Columbia University, and community stakeholders such as the Abyssinian Baptist Church, producing interdisciplinary work across archaeology, history, anthropology, and public memory.

Background and Discovery

The principal discovery that galvanized the project occurred during construction for a federal office building on Dutch Street in the late 1980s, when laborers unearthed human remains near historic sites tied to New Amsterdam and New York City Hall. Excavation intersected with records from the New York Colonial Records Project, maps by Balthazar de La Montagne and references in the Leisler's Rebellion era, prompting involvement from preservationists associated with National Trust for Historic Preservation, activists including members of the Black Revolutionary History Committee, and public officials from the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and United States Congress. News coverage by outlets such as the New York Times and reporting by the Associated Press amplified calls for investigation and memorialization.

Archaeological Investigations

Archaeological investigations were conducted by teams from institutions including the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Howard University, Rutgers University, and the City University of New York. Excavations followed standards influenced by case law such as Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act precedents and methodologies from field leaders tied to Society for American Archaeology, with laboratory analysis at centers like the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History. Specialists in mortuary archaeology, osteoarchaeology, and forensic anthropology from Columbia University Medical Center, University of Pennsylvania, and Howard University applied stratigraphic recording, GIS mapping from Esri, and radiocarbon dating at facilities such as Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Collaboration involved heritage organizations including the Museum of the City of New York, New-York Historical Society, and conservationists from the National Park Service.

Human Remains and Osteological Findings

Human remains excavated by teams including researchers affiliated with Howard University and the American Museum of Natural History underwent osteological analysis revealing age profiles, pathologies, and markers of workload consistent with transatlantic enslaved populations referenced in records like the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database. Findings included evidence interpreted in light of comparative studies by scholars at Harvard University, Yale University, and Princeton University, with analyses of dental pathology, cranial morphology, and isotopic signatures conducted using protocols from the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. Studies engaged geneticists from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and bioarchaeologists linked to University College London for broader diasporic comparisons. Interpretations were debated in journals such as American Anthropologist, Journal of African American History, and International Journal of Osteoarchaeology.

Community Engagement and Commemoration

Community engagement was central, with involvement from descendant communities, civic leaders including representatives from City Council of New York and clergy from Mother AME Zion Church, and advocacy by groups such as the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America and the NAACP. Public commemoration efforts led to the establishment of a memorial designed in consultation with architects from Frederick C. H. Peters and landscape planners tied to Olmsted Brothers traditions, culminating in site dedication events featuring speakers from United States Congress, the Mayor of New York City, and cultural leaders like Toni Morrison and Cornel West at ceremonies covered by NPR and PBS. Educational programs were developed with partners including New York City Department of Education, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Brooklyn Historical Society, and performing arts groups linked to Apollo Theater and New York Philharmonic.

Legal, Ethical, and Conservation Issues

Legal and ethical debates invoked statutes and precedents involving the National Historic Preservation Act, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act analogues, and municipal ordinances overseen by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and the United States Department of the Interior. Conservators from the Smithsonian Institution and legal scholars from New York University School of Law and Columbia Law School grappled with stewardship, repatriation, and protocols influenced by cases like Kennewick Man and practices advocated by the American Indian Movement and human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch. Conservation strategies deployed materials science from laboratories at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and California Institute of Technology to stabilize remains and associated artifacts curated by institutions including the Skyscraper Museum and Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Impact and Legacy

The project's impact spans scholarship, policy, and public memory, influencing exhibitions at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, curricular materials used by Teachers College, Columbia University, and heritage tourism initiatives by the New York Historical Society. It stimulated comparative projects at sites like Jamestown Settlement, Colonial Williamsburg, Fort Mose, and St. Augustine and informed international dialogues with scholars from University of Cape Town, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, and University of the West Indies. Awards and recognition from organizations such as the American Association for State and Local History and the National Trust for Historic Preservation acknowledged collaborative practices that shaped discourse in publications by Oxford University Press, Routledge, and Cambridge University Press. The project's legacy endures in public memorials, peer-reviewed research, and policy reforms pursued by institutions including the National Park Service and municipal agencies across the United States.

Category:African American history Category:Archaeological projects