Directions for analysis of documents on enslaved people

History 3120 Profs. Holguín and Stockdale

Note: We’ve changed this assignment a little bit. Instead of working on Hypothesis for this one, just read the documents and turn in the answers to these questions.

Questions for “Credit Sale Slaves”: (5 pts.)

Note on terms:

griff= mixed-race person do= ditto

1. Why are these enslaved people being auctioned?

2. What clues do you have that this auction is tied to a capitalist system?

3. Why do you think some people have their first names listed only while others have a first and last name listed?

4. Why do you think some enslaved people commanded a greater price than others? Be specific in your analysis.

5. Open question: What strikes you the most about this auction announcement?

Questions for “The Planter’s Annual Record” (5 pts.)

Although we do not know anything about the enslaved people on this list except for their names, ages, and their “value” at the beginning and end of the year, make an educated guess for the following questions:

1. Why do you think Mary, Fanny, the two Rachels, Martha and Celia are “valued” more than the other females in this record?

2. Why do you think Amanda is “valued” 1/3 less than Azaline, at the beginning of the year but then is valued only 1/7 less than her by the end of the year, even thought they’re both the same age?

3. Why do you think Tone and Edmund are “valued” so much more than most of the other men, even though they are in their mid-to-late forties?

4. Go to https://www.officialdata.org and type in the year 1850. Using this tool, calculate the total starting “value” and ending “value” of the men and women on this document in today’s dollars. The totals are written very clearly at the bottom of each column. After you have done this and written down the totals, write down how much profit the planter made from enslaved labor in today’s dollars (yes, that’s a little bit of math). What do you learn about this enslaver by knowing the “value”of the enslaved in today’s dollars?

5. Open question: What strikes you most about this planter’s record?