African Burial Ground National Monument

African Burial Ground National Monument
Dmadeo · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Name	African Burial Ground National Monument
Location	New York City, New York, United States
Nearest city	Manhattan
Established	February 27, 2006
Governing body	National Park Service

African Burial Ground National Monument is a United States National Monument located in Manhattan, New York City, New York, that preserves the site of a colonial era African American cemetery. The site was discovered in 1991 during the construction of a Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters building, and it is considered one of the most significant archaeological sites in United States history, with connections to Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, and the Underground Railroad. The monument is managed by the National Park Service in partnership with the U.S. General Services Administration and the African Burial Ground Advisory Council, which includes representatives from the National Council of Negro Women, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The site is also linked to the African American Museum in Philadelphia, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the New York Historical Society.

● History

The history of the African Burial Ground National Monument dates back to the 17th century, when African Americans were brought to New York City as slaves by Dutch West India Company and later by British colonists, including Peter Stuyvesant and Richard Nicolls. The site was used as a cemetery for both free and enslaved African Americans, with connections to the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, and the Abyssinian Baptist Church. The cemetery was active from around 1690 to 1794, during which time it is estimated that over 15,000 African Americans were buried there, including Crispus Attucks, Lemuel Haynes, and Phyllis Wheatley. The site was later forgotten and built over, with the construction of Civic Center buildings, including the New York City Hall, the New York County Courthouse, and the United States Courthouse. The discovery of the site in 1991 during the construction of a Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters building led to a major archaeological excavation project, involving the National Park Service, the U.S. General Services Administration, and the African Burial Ground Advisory Council, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, and the Ford Foundation.

● Geography

The African Burial Ground National Monument is located in Lower Manhattan, near the New York City Hall, the New York County Courthouse, and the United States Courthouse, in close proximity to the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan Bridge, and the East River. The site is situated on a block bounded by Duane Street, Elk Street, Franklin Street, and Broadway, near the African American Museum in Philadelphia, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the New York Historical Society. The monument is accessible by public transportation, including the New York City Subway and MTA Regional Bus Operations, with connections to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, the Grand Central Terminal, and the Penn Station. The site is also within walking distance of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the Statue of Liberty, and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum, which are managed by the National Park Service in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

● Archaeology

The archaeological excavation of the African Burial Ground National Monument was a major project that involved the excavation of over 400 burials and the recovery of thousands of artifacts, including coffins, grave goods, and human remains, with the participation of Howard University, the City College of New York, and the New York University. The excavation was conducted by a team of archaeologists from the National Park Service, the U.S. General Services Administration, and the African Burial Ground Advisory Council, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, and the Ford Foundation. The excavation provided valuable insights into the lives of African Americans in colonial era New York City, including their funerary practices, diet, and health, with connections to the Transatlantic slave trade, the Middle Passage, and the Underground Railroad. The artifacts recovered from the site are now housed at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which are affiliated with the New York Public Library and the Smithsonian Institution.

● Memorial

The African Burial Ground National Monument includes a memorial designed by Haitian American artist Rodney Leon, which was dedicated in 2007 and features a granite analemmatic sundial, a symbol of the African diaspora, with connections to the African American Museum in Philadelphia, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the New York Historical Society. The memorial also includes a wall of remembrance with the names of African Americans who were buried at the site, including Crispus Attucks, Lemuel Haynes, and Phyllis Wheatley, as well as a sculpture of an African American family and a bench dedicated to the memory of the enslaved African Americans who were buried there, with support from the National Council of Negro Women, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The memorial is intended to honor the lives and experiences of the African Americans who were buried at the site and to provide a place of reflection and remembrance for visitors, with connections to the National Park Service, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

● Conservation Efforts

The African Burial Ground National Monument is protected and preserved by the National Park Service in partnership with the U.S. General Services Administration and the African Burial Ground Advisory Council, which includes representatives from the National Council of Negro Women, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The site is also protected by federal law, including the Antiquities Act of 1906 and the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, and the Ford Foundation. The National Park Service works to preserve the site and its artifacts for future generations, with connections to the African American Museum in Philadelphia, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the New York Historical Society. The site is also part of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, which is a national historic trail that commemorates the Underground Railroad and its role in the abolition of slavery in the United States, with connections to Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Sojourner Truth.

Category:African American history Category:National Monuments in New York Category:Archaeological sites in New York City