Receipt for sale of Jane, age 18, and her son, Henry, age 1
loc.gov
loc.gov
> Recd of Judge S. Williams six hundred Dollars in full payment for Jane, a negro woman 18 years old and henry her child, about one year old, together with her future increase if any which negroes I warrant to be sound in body and mind and slaves for life witness my hand and seal this 20th day of Decr 1849.
> The conditions of the above instrument are such that if the undersigned shall pay or cause to be paid to Judge S. Williams by the 1st Jan 1851 the sum of six hundred Dollars good and lawful money the property as above described to revert to the undersigned and the Instrument to be void, otherwise to remain in full force and virtue this Day and Date above written, signed, sealed, and delivered in presents of J. M. Lamply, John Williams seal
$600 in 1849 is equivalent to ~$27,000 today. But since that doesn't tell us much...
In the same year, cows sold for $10 and horses for 80$ [1]. I'm not sure what to think of it. Sounds like a lot, but also way too little.
[1] https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008282264&se...
Slavery is bad, but not all forms of it are equally bad. We have to acknowledge that because there's a whole spectrum of coerced labor between "literally in chains" and "my employer paid for school and I can't afford to leave."
Again, none of it is good, but it's important context.
https://www.oregonhistoryproject.org/articles/historical-rec...
There were a few cases of racially motivated lynchings of Black men by private mobs around the same era but those weren't officially sanctioned by the court system.
> Slavery is wrong.
But not according to any religious texts.
Happy long weekend, everyone.
> And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
> Neither have I suffered that ye should be confined in dungeons, nor that ye should make slaves one of another, nor that ye should murder, or plunder, or steal, or commit adultery; nor even have I suffered that ye should commit any manner of wickedness, and have taught you that ye should keep the commandments of the Lord, in all things which he hath commanded you
> Righteousness is not that you turn your faces toward the east or the west, but [true] righteousness is [in] one who believes in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Book, and the prophets and gives wealth, in spite of love for it, to relatives, orphans, the needy, the traveler, those who ask [for help], and for freeing slaves