Morning View - Slave Memorial

In 1991, excavation for a new office tower in lower Manhattan revealed a centuries-old burial ground for the slaves of New Yorkers, grim testament to the nearly 200 years that slavery was legal here. An estimated 15,000 Africans are buried on the seven acre site, which in those days was just outside of the city limits as slave cemeteries were banned in New York. After protracted legal wrangling, the site was finally dedicated last year as the African Burial Ground National Memorial, where the Park Service now offers daily instructional talks and tours of its visitors center. Read more about memorial and the history of slavery in New York here.