Lost Black History
By Don Valentine
There is a gross omission in the standard high school curriculum. Students are not taught that the labor of the slaves built the Capitol and the White House. A report by the National Archives (archives.gov) notes, “Two of Washington, DC’s most famous buildings, the White House and the
United States Capitol was built in large part by enslaved African Americans. National Archive
s holdings include wage rolls, promissory notes, and vouchers that document the work done by slaves on these two historic structures.” That documentation is irrefutable that the slave labor was used to build the Capitol.
The logical decision to use slaves was disguised as a necessity due to a shortage of paid workers. In its report the National Archives said, “…{sic} The Board of Commissioners tried to recruit laborers from Europe and America to build the two structures. Unable to find as many workers as they needed, the commissioners turned to African Americans slaves. Most slaves hauled building materials and sawed lumber, but others performed skilled labor such as carpentry, stone cutting, and bricklaying.”
The Black skilled laborers were directed to follow the plans of Benjamin Banneker, a genius Black architect. He was the partner of Pierre L’Enfant, a White man, who is credited with designing the city. Midway through the project President Washington was forced to fire Mr. L’Enfant over a disagreement on his spending and insubordination. Brittanica.com recorded, “L’Enfant later attempted to obtain $95,500 as payment for his services. Congress gave him what it thought to be proper, the sum of about $3,800.” The project was rescued by Mr. Banneker’s copious memory of all aspects of their layout. There is sparse citation of Mr. Banneker’s participation in this national landmark. It is not atypical for the standard account of history to expunge the role of Black participants.
Thanks to our Black press we have access to the untainted history. Blackhistory.com recorded, “Our nation’s capital would not be the same if it wasn’t for Benjamin Banneker, the Black architect hired by George Washington, … to design the city of Washington, DC.” Most traditional publications, like the Smithsonian Magazine do not acknowledge his work. That stalwart magazine annotated, “While it’s (probably) not true that he saved the plan of Washington, D.C., Banneker did make some important contributions to early America.” It is suggested that his feat was a fairytale. “Banneker is well-remembered-perhaps too well, given the number of myths surrounding his life.”
Mainstream history acknowledges that Mr. Banneker made a prolifically reliable Farmers Almanac. In addition, he is undisputed for building the first known clock made with all American parts. It would not be jaded to view this prevarication of history as a ploy to ignore Black’s role in building the Capitol. Thankfully since 1827 Freedom’s Journal (the first Black owned newspaper) we have trusted a press to preserve our history.
