Document Type

Thesis

Comments

Master of Science in Historic Preservation

Thesis Advisor: Elaine B. Stiles

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to discover biographical information, community interactions, and property ownership regarding the enslaved and emancipated individuals interred in God’s Little Acre Cemetery in Newport, Rhode Island. This research will further the understanding of how the African and African American community contributed to the development and cultural landscape within Newport. God’s Little Acre Cemetery is one of the oldest African American cemeteries in the United States and is the foundation for this research. The history of slavery and the stories of the enslaved Africans and their emancipated descendants within New England have been discussed, but marginally when considering the amount of documentation involving the enslaved in the Antebellum South. The outcome of this research will expand knowledge of the enslaved and free African Americans within the city of Newport during the colonial period and contribute to a better understanding of that community.

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