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The Slave Auction

Jay used his infl uence to ban slavery in his home state of New
York. Other northern states took similar action, but states in the
South refused to outlaw slavery. By now, cotton was the predomi-
nant crop in the South, and slaves were vitally needed to grow
and harvest the crop. By the 1860s, some 4 million slaves were
toiling on southern plantations. In 1891, the

“If a slave is unwilling to former slave Harriet Ann Jacobs published
go with his new master, he her autobiography, describing what life was
is whipped, or locked up like for black slaves on a southern planta-
in jail, until he consents to tion. Jacobs recalled that in the South, New
go, and promises not to run Year’s Day was typically the day of the an-
away during the year.” 7 nual slave auction—when plantation own-
ers met in the town square to buy and sell
—Harriet Ann Jacobs, former slave
slaves among themselves. She wrote,

If a slave is unwilling to go with his new master, he is
whipped, or locked up in jail, until he consents to go, and
promises not to run away during the year. Should he chance
to change his mind, thinking it justifi able to violate an extort-
ed promise, woe unto him if he is caught! The whip is used
till the blood fl ows at his feet; and his stiffened limbs are put
in chains, to be dragged in the fi eld for days and days. . . .

On one of these days I saw a slave mother lead seven
children to the auction-block. She knew that some of them
would be taken from her; but they took all. The children
were sold to a slave-trader, and their mother was bought
by a man in her own town. Before night her children were
all far away. She begged the trader to tell where he in-
tended to take them; this he refused to do. How could he,
when he would sell them one by one to wherever he could
command the highest price? 7

In the northern states, there had been a growing movement
since the founding of the nation contending that slavery was

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