TheSlaveAuctions

__ The Slave Auctions __ Back when slave auctions went on, Richmond, VA was the biggest place for these slave auctions to be held. These slaves were bought and sold at small auction houses. The auction houses were usually in very bad conditions, and they were usually in small allies or narrow streets. The auction houses had large windows and were very dark inside. The auction houses were owned by brokers who had bought their slaves for a lower price. When you saw African-American people, they were almost always for the sole purpose of sale. Many people thought that being sold was what the slaves wanted, what made them very happy. Usually only three to four slaves were sold at a time at these auction houses. The adults knew it was their fate, but the children just didn't understand. they would mimic the auctions, pretending to sell each other. No one would stop them, they would just let the children have a little laugh. On average, prices ranged from $350 - $1300. Women would cost less than men, and children would cost the least amount of money. Usually, people would have to pay more for people who were strong enough to work in fields. People would be separated from their families and given new names once sold. These auctions would always be bad for slaves, hurting them, and are now looked back on as cruel and torturous.

Book Used: __Slavery__ edited by Thomas Streissguth Image from: http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/chimage.php?image=2007/2043/slavery_sale.jpg

These two pictures are a slave auction where they will sell African Americans. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://hitchcock.itc.virginia.edu/SlaveTrade/collection/large/H003.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.chrislayson.com/about2.html&usg=__1L94_76Uk_lNTSiHN4ci19DByTM=&h=900&w=701&sz=161&hl=en&start=6&um=1&tbnid=vyU3wfNnRTE_sM:&tbnh=146&tbnw=114&prev=/images%3Fq%3DOrigins%2Bof%2BSlavery%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN