D.C.’s Middle Passage Roots

As the United States of America approaches the 250th anniversary of Independence from Great Britain, greater emphasis must be placed on telling a more inclusive national narrative. This challenges us to face often-erased, largely-unknown truths:

• the documented presence of Africans in North America since 1513,

• the foundational impact of the Middle Passage – the largest forced migration in human history, and

• the contributions of captive Africans and their enslaved and free descendants.

In the D.C. area, narratives of the arrival, survival, and resistance of captive African children, women, and men transported across the Atlantic unfold on land bordering the northern portion of the Potomac River.

In 2026, many Americans will also acknowledge the 500 th anniversary of our country’s direct connection to the Middle Passage. The forced transport of Africans across the Atlantic to North America operated from 1526 until 1866. Approximately 500,000 captive Africans who suffered horrific physical and…