▁African ▁slaves ▁at ▁Jam est own , ▁and ▁the ▁historical ▁evolution ▁of ▁the ▁concept ▁of ▁human ▁freedom ▁as ▁expressed ▁by ▁Washington , ▁Jefferson , ▁Mad ison ▁and ▁even ▁Robert ▁E . ▁Lee ▁in ▁his ▁description ▁of ▁the ▁project . ▁The ▁Memorial ▁site , ▁which ▁eventually ▁grew ▁to ▁about ▁ 1 , 1 0 0   ac res , ▁is ▁situated ▁in ▁Col onial ▁National ▁Historical ▁Park ▁adjacent ▁to ▁Jam est own , ▁Williams burg , ▁and ▁York town — V ir gin ia ' s ▁" H istor ic ▁Tri angle ", ▁sometimes ▁referred ▁to ▁as ▁the ▁" c rad le ▁of ▁American ▁dem ocracy ". ▁It ▁is ▁possible ▁that ▁the ▁earliest ▁African ▁slaves ▁in ▁Virginia ▁and ▁America ▁worked ▁on ▁or ▁near ▁this ▁land ▁and ▁that ▁the ▁land ▁itself ▁is ▁the ▁site ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁farm ▁in ▁Virginia ▁owned ▁by ▁a ▁former ▁slave . ▁ ▁Mich aux ▁worked ▁to ▁develop ▁fund ing ▁for ▁the ▁project . ▁One ▁of ▁the ▁more ▁intr igu ing ▁propos als ▁was ▁to ▁develop ▁a ▁co oper ative ▁farm ▁on ▁the ▁property , ▁sub div ided ▁into ▁ 5   acre ▁lots ▁that ▁could ▁be ▁far med ▁by ▁individuals ▁who ▁would ▁be ▁given ▁c ows , ▁m ules , ▁ch ick ens , ▁and ▁seed ▁and ▁who ▁would ▁work ▁together , ▁commun ally , ▁to ▁show ▁the ▁progress ▁of ▁Afr icans ▁in ▁America . ▁None ▁of ▁the ▁fund ing ▁schemes ▁that ▁Mich aux ▁purs ued ▁were ▁successful ▁enough ▁to ▁develop ▁the ▁actual ▁plans ▁for ▁the ▁site . ▁However ,