Discovery of the African Burial Ground

During construction of a federal office building in Lower Manhattan in 1991, workers and archaeologists uncovered a 17th–18th century cemetery used for free and enslaved Africans; the site became known as the African Burial Ground. Archaeological investigations recovered the remains of more than 400 individuals, prompting public protests and a federal preservation effort that resulted in the African Burial Ground National Monument. The discovery changed public and scholarly understanding of the scale and visibility of African presence in colonial New York. The monument and visitor center provide interpretation and ongoing research.