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Miscellaneous documents concerning American slavery (MS Am 1278): Guide.Administrative InformationGifts and purchases from various sources at various times. Acquisition information is given with items. Processed by: Melanie Wisner Preferred Citation for Publication:Miscellaneous Documents Concerning American Slavery (MS Am 1278). Houghton Library, Harvard University. There are no restrictions on physical access to this material. Return to the Table of Contents Interstate domestic slave trading in the United States was well established by 1808 when the importation of slaves from other countries was abolished. Interstate slave trading was erratically controlled by the states and by 1850 completely unregulated. Traders in the Upper South maintained agencies and representatives in the Lower South. The seaboard and border states exported an estimated 25,000 slaves a year, with Virginia the largest source. Water transport was occasionally used, but more often slaves were marched overland to markets such as New Orleans and Natchez (the two largest markets), where they commanded prices that at least quadrupled between 1800 and 1860. Return to the Table of Contents Primarily manuscript bills of sale for slaves in Charleston (S.C.) and New Orleans (La.), with a few printed and other documents pertaining to slavery in North America. Return to the Table of Contents Organized alphabetically. Return to the Table of Contents |