The latest installment of The New York Times' 1619 Project takes a look at the largely erased built legacy of slavery in America. The article visits a collection of sites that had to be uncovered more or less through original research, as little documentation and few historical markers exist with regards to these places.
Writer Anne C. Bailey and photographer Dannielle Bowman take a look at what remains of this sordid legacy. In the article, Bailey writes, "After the Civil War, most former auction sites quietly blended into the main streets of today. Except for the occasional marker or museum, there was no record of the horror of separation suffered by many black families."
Bailey adds, "The sales took place all over the growing nation — in taverns, town squares and train stations, on riverbanks and by the side of the road. Before being sold, the enslaved were often kept in pens or private jails, sometimes for days or weeks. Then they were sold directly from the pens or marched to a nearby auction. Thousands of sales took place each year, right in the hearts of American cities and towns, on the steps of courthouses and city halls."
One notable site, however, exists: Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, where, after Jefferson's death in 1826, 133 enslaved workers owned by Jefferson were sold off to pay debts incurred by the Founding Father.
Regarding Monticello, Bailey writes, "Some 400,000 people visit Monticello every year, inspired, in part, by Jefferson’s legacy as a founding father and promoter of freedom. They take photographs and stroll up and down the famous West Portico steps — the image depicted on the United States nickel since 1938. Until they come, visitors most likely have not imagined a slave auction taking place on the property, let alone on those famous stairs."
Arguing about classical architectures link to slavery completely misses the point of the article. In grad school (at UVA coincidentally) I had a studio project sited in Charleston South Carolina that was directly behind "The old slave mart" referenced above. After researching the site's history I learned that what was now a parking lot was in fact part of the slave mart complex, in fact it had a structure that was the jail where slaves were kept until they were sold. I had no intention of basing my project on slavery, but upon learning the history I felt I had no choice but to attempt to reconcile the sites past with its present. This is the point of the article, that these places have been erased from the landscape. There is a reason they preserved many of the concentration camps, so we remember what took place there. The sites of similar atrocities in our backyards however have largely been erased from public memory without us ever having to reconcile our own complicity with them.
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Since the author is trying to disparage classical architecture by an association with slavery the other side of the picture should be observed. Below is the Adrienne and Alonzo historical house in Atlanta. Alonzo was born a slave but eventually became one of the richest men in Atlanta. The Classical Revival mansion he and his wife built was one of the largest in Atlanta at the start of the twentieth century. It was designed, not by an architect, but by his wife Adrienne, and built by black construction workers. It is on the National Register of Historical Places.
"Since the author is trying to disparage classical architecture by an association with slavery.." I didn't get that impression. Perhaps you're carrying baggage over from other threads?
That's a lovely mansion though.
Was a chilling experience to walk by a former slave auction building in Charleston, South Carolina, with the signage still in place above as if it were a WalMart. The first time I was in the South I found one right away, not sure why it's so hard for the NYT to find them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O...
The more you learn about history the better. Though you should recognize this is a narrative history where there are many more (most of the marked sites are conspicuously left out of this--I'm sure they prefer to make weird allusions to Wall St.). Wish the NYT would do a American Design History series (or beat), as we can see how industry and design takes off after 1865. As opposed to the NYT theory that slavery is embedded in capitalism, it was the thing that was holding it back. Even for owners like Jefferson, it was hollow wealth (he was in debt most of the time). After it ends, you see the growth of Rockefeller, Carnegie, Sullivan, Wright, and American modernism.
I do find the conspiratorial, patronizing tone of the NYT to be interesting. As of the thesis is that "you didn't learn about slavery in school, let us tell you the truth!" Like who didn't learn about Slavery? Do they not teach basic history everywhere?
Guess what you didn't really know---Jefferson owned slaves! (Gasp!) Who knew? (Literally everybody).
"After it ends, you see the growth of Rockefeller, Carnegie, Sullivan, Wright, and American modernism." I don't know, this seems like more of a correlation than a causation. There was a lot else going on at the time.
Congo square...
Did the NY Times mention that Eli Yale (yes, the Yale University Eli) was a slaver? No? Curious.
FWIW the back and white citizens of Charleston made a decision to keep the slave mart because it is a part of their history, not because they are proud of it. The Charlestonians are not exactly part of the'cancel culture' movement.
Cancel culture isn't real.
^ You are a prime example of cancel culture. People who selectively embrace portions of the past and reject everything that is out of favor this week. So is the person who authored this thread. I breathlessly await his treatise on Eli Yale.
Please provide references to support your accusations. I'll wait.
"In the great racism sweepstakes, John Calhoun was an amateur. Far more egregious was Elihu Yale, the philanthropist whose benefactions helped found the university. As an administrator in India, he was deeply involved in the slave trade. He always made sure that ships leaving his jurisdiction for Europe carried at least 10 slaves. I propose that the committee on renaming table the issue of Calhoun College and concentrate on the far more flagrant name “Yale.”" Wall Street Journal, August 8, 2016 - "The College Formally Known as Yale"
Did I write that? I must have forgotten.
‘You are a prime example of cancel culture. People who selectively embrace portions of the past and reject everything that is out of favor this week...’
If that ain’t the pot calling the kettle. The same could be said about you, as you disregard any connection to cultural, and historical context.
according to folk etymologies - Thomas Jefferson was a motherf**ker.
[google John Locke and influence on Thomas Jefferson sometime]
Arguing about classical architectures link to slavery completely misses the point of the article. In grad school (at UVA coincidentally) I had a studio project sited in Charleston South Carolina that was directly behind "The old slave mart" referenced above. After researching the site's history I learned that what was now a parking lot was in fact part of the slave mart complex, in fact it had a structure that was the jail where slaves were kept until they were sold. I had no intention of basing my project on slavery, but upon learning the history I felt I had no choice but to attempt to reconcile the sites past with its present. This is the point of the article, that these places have been erased from the landscape. There is a reason they preserved many of the concentration camps, so we remember what took place there. The sites of similar atrocities in our backyards however have largely been erased from public memory without us ever having to reconcile our own complicity with them.
Well put, thank you.
Second that.
If the point is to argue these sites (and project) have been "erased", I think it is unsuccessful. Many of the places still exist (Monticello, Old Slave Mart, etc). Elsewhere the buildings were replaced with better economic systems.
Oh, sorry. You said Replaced. So much better than Erased.
Nah, the point wasn't directed a the places. It was a veiled comment about people.
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