How did African slaves get sold to Americans?
~The were sold just the same as horses or cows or dogs or wagons or dining room furniture. Sales were both public and private and the market dictated the terms of sale, just like with any other commodity. What kind of diary entry are you trying to write? How about “I got a great deal at the slave auction today. It cost me $750 for a 22 year old buck from Georgia, but they threw his wife and two kids in for on $150 more. Bidding was slow. Maybe the whipping scars on his back gave the competition pause for concern, but my overseer will make sure he toes the line. I should be able to work him for at least five years and sell him for more than I paid. I plan to breed him regularly. I’ll sell the kids in a month or so for a couple of hundred, and I should be able to get at least $350 for the woman – Ambrose over in the next county just lost his wife and he could probably use something to keep his bed warm at night.” Bear in mind that after January 1, 1808, it was illegal to import slaves an
