'Built by my family': America's grand buildings built by slaves

'Built by my family': America's grand buildings built by slaves

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Monticello, the expansive brick home of Thomas Jefferson, sits atop a hill overlooking farmland, trees and the University of Virginia, the institution founded by the third U.S. president.

. Charlottesville, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Carlos Barria
A replica of a house of enslaved people at Monticello estate.

Its distinctive architecture - a columned portico, balconies ringing the upper floors, the famous dome - has landed the residence on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list and the back of the U.S. nickel.

Built between 1769 and 1809, Monticello is also one of the most famous of the hundreds of landmark American buildings constructed by slaves.

. Washington, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Carlos Barria
The U.S. Capitol, one of the most iconic symbols of American democracy, was built using enslaved labor, involved in all aspects of construction, including carpentry, masonry, plastering, glazing and painting.

Four hundred years ago this month, the boat carrying what is believed to have been the first 20 enslaved Africans arrived in the British colony of Virginia, an anniversary that has prompted a reckoning of race-based chattel slavery in the United States of America.

Throughout the United States, the physical legacy of slavery can still be seen in the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the residences of former presidents including George Washington's Mount Vernon and James Madison's Montpelier and universities built using the labor of slaves.

. St. Augustine, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Carlos Barria
Plants grow on a wall of Castillo de San Marcos masonry fort. The construction of the masonry fort began in 1673. Among native Americans, former slaves who escaped from the British colonies also worked on the construction of the fort, according to some historians.

Other prominent landmarks built using the labor of slaves include South Carolina's Fort Sumter, the site in Charleston Harbor where the Civil War that brought the end of slavery erupted in 1861, and the Castillo de San Marcos masonry fort in St. Augustine, Florida.

Tours and exhibits at Monticello highlight the work performed by slaves in the construction of the building and on Jefferson's plantation.

Enslaved people leveled the hill on which the house sits, dug clay for brick-making, quarried limestone for mortar and plaster, and chopped trees that became lumber for framing and woodwork.

. Fairfax, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Carlos Barria
A latch is seen at Mount Vernon estate.

They also assisted white craftsmen hired for the building's construction, with some becoming highly skilled workers in their own right - like John Hemmings, half-brother of Sally Hemings, a woman enslaved by Jefferson who had at least six children with him.

“You think of what it took to build Monticello – you need people who made bricks, people who laid the bricks, who chopped the wood, converted it into fine trim and woodwork and then installed it," said Gardiner Hallock, director of restorations and collections for the foundation that operates the estate.

"And then there's people who need to plaster the interior walls as well and lay the floors - and slave craftsmen were involved with all of those steps," Hallock added.

. New York, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Carlos Barria
A man walks by Fraunces Tavern. Built by the De Lancey family in 1719 with the use of enslaved labor, the property has been a private residence, hotel, and one of the most important taverns of the Revolutionary War.

In New York City, where as much as 20% of its population was once enslaved, the original street of Broadway, the wall that gave Wall Street its name, historic restaurant and bar Fraunces Tavern and Trinity Church were all built using slave labor.

"All of the original built environment in New York basically was built with the labor of enslaved people," said Louise Mirrer, the head of the New York Historical Society.

. New York, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Carlos Barria
A reflection of Trinity Church in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan. The church was built in 1696 with the use of enslaved people.

Growing recognition of the role that slaves played in constructing the United States has helped fuel the topic of reparations for descendants of American slaves.

One prominent institution that has received attention for its role in slavery is Georgetown University in Washington.

. St. Augustine, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Carlos Barria
The Isaac Hawkins Hall dormitory building at Georgetown University campus.

In 2016, Georgetown acknowledged that hundreds of people who were enslaved on Jesuit plantations were sold in 1838 to farms in Louisiana to pay off some of the university's debts.

People involved in the GU272 Memory Project, a venture to find the descendants of those slaves, have said they have identified about 9,000 descendants, 4,000 of whom are living. In 2016, the university began offering preferential admission to descendants of slaves who had been owned by the Maryland Province of Jesuits.

One person who took the university up on its offer was 65-year-old Melisande Short-Colomb, who after a career as a chef decided to attend Georgetown University and complete an undergraduate degree in history and theater.

Now, throughout the school year, she walks past buildings such as Isaac Hawkins Hall, a dormitory believed to have been built in part by slaves and which has since been renamed to honor those who were sold to plantation owners in Louisiana.

"It's beautiful," Short-Colomb said about buildings like Isaac Hawkins Hall on the Georgetown campus, "and I am in awe of this institution and this place that was built by my family."

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Slideshow

The White House. Construction of the President's House began in 1792 which involved enslaved labor. In 2008, First lady Michelle Obama, a descendant of slaves, was the first African American First Lady to live in the property.
. Orange County, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Carlos Barria

The White House. Construction of the President's House began in 1792 which involved enslaved labor. In 2008, First lady Michelle Obama, a descendant of slaves, was the first African American First Lady to live in the property.

A visitor watches a video presentation at James Madison's Montpelier. Built in 1764 with the use of enslaved labor, the mansion belonged to the family of James Madison, the fourth President of the United States until his death in 1836.
. Orange County, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Carlos Barria

A visitor watches a video presentation at James Madison's Montpelier. Built in 1764 with the use of enslaved labor, the mansion belonged to the family of James Madison, the fourth President of the United States until his death in 1836.

Shades of pedestrians are see on a wall of Trinity Church.
. New York, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Carlos Barria

Shades of pedestrians are see on a wall of Trinity Church.

A plaque at Mount Vernon estate reads: "In memory of the many faithful colored servants of the Washington Family buried at Mount Vernon from 1760 to 1860, Their unidentified graves surround this spot, 1929" at Mount Vernon estate".
. Fairfax, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Carlos Barria

A plaque at Mount Vernon estate reads: "In memory of the many faithful colored servants of the Washington Family buried at Mount Vernon from 1760 to 1860, Their unidentified graves surround this spot, 1929" at Mount Vernon estate".

Plastic covers are seen at an area believed to contain the remains of enslaved people as archeological excavations are been conducted in Mount Vernon estate.
. Fairfax, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Carlos Barria

Plastic covers are seen at an area believed to contain the remains of enslaved people as archeological excavations are been conducted in Mount Vernon estate.

A room at Mount Vernon estate, home of George Washington, the first President of the United States. Built using enslaved labor by George Washington's father, Augustine Washington in 1734, the house was inherited by George years later and expanded to almost 11,000 square feet with two and a half stories and a full cellar.
. Fairfax, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Carlos Barria

A room at Mount Vernon estate, home of George Washington, the first President of the United States. Built using enslaved labor by George Washington's father, Augustine Washington in 1734, the house was inherited by George years later and expanded to almost 11,000 square feet with two and a half stories and a full cellar.

Chains and a lock are attached to a brick wall in Mount Vernon estate.
. Fairfax, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Carlos Barria

Chains and a lock are attached to a brick wall in Mount Vernon estate.

A brick wall, part of the original Fraunces Tavern.
. New York, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Carlos Barria

A brick wall, part of the original Fraunces Tavern.

Grass at the U.S. Capitol.
. Washington, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Carlos Barria

Grass at the U.S. Capitol.

A relief knows as "Preservation of Captain Smith by Pocahontas, 1606" is seen above of a rotunda door in the U.S. Capitol.
. Washington, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Carlos Barria

A relief knows as "Preservation of Captain Smith by Pocahontas, 1606" is seen above of a rotunda door in the U.S. Capitol.