LAND GRANT
AIRED: Season 3, Episode 10
THE DETECTIVE: Tukufu Zuberi
THE PLACE: Fairfax, Virginia
THE CASE:
A collector holds a fragment of aged parchment, which may be evidence of one of the first revolts against slavery in the Americas.
The document appears to be a 1667 land grant to an African-American woman named Christina, the wife of a former slave.
The signature on the deed is of General Richard Nicolls, the first governor of New York.
How did an African-American woman -- the wife of a former slave -- acquire what is now a valuable piece of real estate in downtown Manhattan, referred to in the document as "The land of the blacks"?
History Detectives visits the Big Apple to learn more about the history of freedom and property rights for African -Americans in the United States.
Think you have a case for the History Detectives? Send us your mystery here. 