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Freedom Blues |
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A song by Chris Jennings
about the slave market opening in New York City, the denial of religious
freedom, and anonymous burial. |
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New York City, 1711 |
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ÒThere
are no reliable figures about the proportion of colored to white people in
the city, but it is known that all wealthy whites owned slaves, some as many
as fifty. Even people of moderate
means had three to six household slaves, whom they regarded as impersonally
as they did chairs and tablesÓ (Ellis, E.R., The Epic of New York, p.112). |
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ÒNegroes
were not encouraged to embrace Christianity because most whites believed they
lacked soulsÉ After colored people died, they were buried in a potterÕs field
without religious ritesÓ (Ellis, E.R., The Epic of New York, p.112). |
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ÒA marsh. A cemetery. A parade ground. A
gathering spot for avant-garde artistsÉ.Washington Square Park has served
various roles for its community throughout the yearsÉIn 1797 the Common
Council acquired the land for use as a Potter's Field or common burial
ground. The field was also used for public executions, giving rise to the
tale of the HangmanÕs Elm which stands in the northwest corner of the parkÓ
(www.nycgovparks.org/parks/washingtonsquarepark). |
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