I have read many books about slavery, watched documentaries, studied various legal documents, but there is something that really hits home to actually see the advertisements in the newspapers for selling, desiring, or offering rewards for the purchase or obtainment of human beings. It weighs on your heart – one of the most difficult aspects of research. Nestled between ads of pianos, buggies, and steamboat trips are ads to buy and sell someone else’s life at a “bargain” rate. I can imagine the sales pitch – “Make your ad stand out by including this logo,” which most of them did. Here are just a very few of the ads I found that ran daily in local New Orleans newspapers.
