Many might remember that the African Burial Ground came to light when the federal government discovered human remains during the construction of a half-billion dollar office tower in Lower Manhattan. Work was halted, and state, federal and local agencies, as well as concerned citizens and civic groups, debated what how to proceed. The status and proper course of action on the site was extremely disputed. Eventually, despite the request of some that the entire site be preserved, work continued on the office building but the plans were modified and a small portion of the original burial site was preserved. It is estimated that the remains of 22,000 people are buried there. The removal of 400 remains and thousands of artifacts for study was controversial, but resulted in anthropological evidence of malnutrition and overwork in the slave population.
The burial ground was well known to an earlier generation of New Yorkers. In the 18th century, at times almost 20 percent of the city's residents were African-Americans, the overwhelming majority slaves. As many as half the farming households outside the city owned slaves, a higher percentage than in most Southern states. Two major slave rebellions occurred in the state in the 18th century, and the one in 1741 resulted in the torture and execution of about 20 alleged ring leaders, several by dismemberment and burning. Their bones were most likely put in the African Burial Ground.
