Image – Slave Trader's Advertisement

Chapter 10

Slave Trader’s Advertisement

This advertisement for the services of a slave trader in Charleston, South Carolina was typical throughout the South up until 1860.  Enslaved people were advertised for sale and for rent as commodities alongside agricultural and trade goods.

 “slavery had for centuries played a vital role in the transatlantic market economy, and slaves provided the labor for many of the raw materials for factories in the United States and Great Britain.” The advertisement shows a clear indication of a market economy and what would be known as the market revolution.  In this system, people increasingly bought and sold goods rather than make them for themselves.