Had the hitherto infamous Seneca Village not been destroyed in the 19th Century to provide room for construction of a City Park, Manhattan would probably look different now, in terms of its population and racial composition. Under the pressure of a rapidly expanding city and envious of elegant city parks in Britain and other European countries, the governance of New York City decided that the city deserved a park. There was no easier and cheaper way to secure land for this purpose, other than evicting the Seneca Community that lived in Manhattan. The governance utilized its powers of eminent domain to compulsorily acquire the land and compensate the owners. The Seneca Community protested in courts against a meager compensation amount and lack of an alternative land to settle. All this fell on deaf ears (Vimeo, 2018, p. 1.
The sad part of the eviction, destruction of the village, and building of the park was that the Seneca Community was two-thirds Black-American the third Irish. Although the park has hitherto attracted millions of people from the USA and globally, there is a historical fact that is in the danger of being erased from history books and from people’s minds, yet the mark it left is indelible. The Black-American race played a pivotal role in the establishment and growth of modern United States of America, among other civilizations across the globe. The Seneca Community were real property owners who deserved adequate compensation for their land.
Archeologists have since discovered slave burial grounds within the park and the New York City in general. It is not debatable that slaves were sources from Africa. Although the New York City may now be enjoying a cross-cultural and cross-racial elegance, it has a Black history that should not be forgotten (Vimeo, 2018, p. 1).
Works Cited
"The Sad Tale Behind Central Park’S Destruction Of Seneca Village". Vimeo, 2018, https://vimeo.com/207021944. Accessed 15 Mar 2018.
