Enslavement around the White House: a walk to say the names and the places

The L'Enfant Plan for the city of Washington is the urban plan developed in 1791 by Major Pierre Charles L'Enfant for George Washington, the first president of the United States. During the years that followed, this area became known as the "Capital of the Congo" for the number of enslaved builders, craftsman, laborers employed in the hasty construction.

Join us for a 90-minute meditative walk, and exploring the history and commerce -- including enslavement practices -- that persisted in Washington from its founding in 1791 till DC passed its limited emancipation in 1862. This archeology of memory considers selected sites, in order to understand how a history of enslavement -- hidden, submerged, erased -- persists to this day in Federal D.C.

This 90-minute archeological history begins In Franklin Park and will conclude in front of the White House. It investigates the history of enslavement entwined in the building of this city, particularly the commerce of enslaved persons bought, sold, auctioned, and, often, discarded within eyesight of the White House: We will consider the building of the major buildings -- White House, Capitol -- and explore the taverns -- Lafayette, Miller -- where the routine traffic in enslaved Americans occurred. Enslaved persons in the Federal City were visible to all, and within a block of the White House we will see the Elephant and Castle, whose name derives from the Royal African Company of King James II -- the first development of the original New York Stocks.
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