The domestic slave trade was a vital part of the economy in North Carolina during the antebellum age, as the international importation of new slaves had ended and domestic trade was now the only way to sell and purchase new laborers. Originating from Africa and Western India, slaves involuntarily labored for no wages, mostly working to cultivate and export cash crops such as cotton and tobacco. In order to perform such harsh labor under deplorable conditions, planters in the market for slaves looked for healthy, young, and robust individuals at auctions to ensure the most profit from their investments. These bills of slave sales at auctions illustrate the nuances of the Mecklenburg County slave trade.
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Sale Receipt, 14 January 1834. Margaret Patterson bought a “negro boy” named Abraham, approximately 12 years of age and “sound and healthy,” for $500.
Sale Receipt, 18 December 1832. William Patterson was the highest bidder on a “negro woman” and paid $500 for full rights and ownership.
Sale Receipt, 2 August 1823. Lewis Jetton purchased two boys, seven-year-old Wilkinson and two-year-old Bill at the price of $500 with plans to pass the slaves on to his son Alexander Brevard Jetton.
