Slaves and Slave Owners Documents

When the "New World" needed cheap labor for its plantations, slave traders kidnapped Africans from their home villages. A "triangle trade" system forever changed the lives of an entire people. Explore this collection to learn what those slaves endured, and discover stories of other types of slavery such as forced labor camps in the Soviet GULAG.

Thomas Jefferson represented a slave named Samuel Howell in the man’s quest to gain freedom from his “master,” Wade Netherland. ...

In April of 1770, Thomas Jefferson did his best to help free a slave whose mother was white.  Jefferson's client was Samuel Howell. Without ch...

Page from the autobiography of Olaudah Equiano (also known as "Gustavus Vassa, The African").  Never previously exposed to sailing, the young kid...

Jacob Cook purchased slaves, then those slaves ran away.  Under America's "Fugitive Slave Law of 1850," he had the right to seek-out-and-find tho...

As noted in the book which tells the story of the Amistad captives - compiled by John W. Barber and published by himself and E.L. Barber in 1840 - Jam...

  Text of a "Runaway Slave Notice," from the Library of Congress, which indicates that Thomas Jefferson wanted the return of one of his slaves w...

Image of a Defence Motion in the District Court of Eastern Pennsylvania proceedings - 1860. Click on the image for a better view.

During the 1930s, the federal government hired writers to obtain the oral histories of former slaves.  John Fields was one of those interviewees....

This text image depicts a page from Jupiter Hammon's famous speech to the African Society of New York City which he gave on the 24th of Sept...

This text image depicts a page from Jupiter Hammon's famous speech to the African Society of New York City which he gave on the 24th of Sept...

This text image depicts a page from Jupiter Hammon's famous speech to the African Society of New York City which he gave on the 24th of Sept...

This text image depicts a page from Jupiter Hammon's famous speech to the African Society of New York City which he gave on the 24th of Sept...

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