Glossary of Terms

Abolition refers to the act or process of ending slavery, freeing enslaved individuals from bondage and oppression. Abolition involves the complete eradication of the institution of slavery, ensuring that no person is forced into involuntary servitude. Abolition promotes justice, equality, and human rights for all individuals, regardless of their background, color, or social status.

The 19th Century antislavery movement aimed to abolish slavery in the US through moral, economic, and legal means. Key figures like Garrison, Douglass, and Tubman used various tactics to raise awareness, leading to the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment.

A bill of sale is a written document that proves ownership and facilitates the transfer of tangible property, including enslaved individuals, from one owner to another. A bill of sale contains details about the seller, the buyer, and the enslaved person(s) being sold.

The Confederate States of America was comprised of eleven Southern U.S. States that seceded from the United States of America during 1860 and 1861. The Confederacy existed from 1861 to 1865 and fought against the Union in the Civil War.

Descendants, including biological, adopted, and step-children, are the offspring and subsequent generations of an individual. In a will, “descendants” refers to surviving family members inheriting the estate.

The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, declared that enslaved people in the Confederate states were now free. The Emancipation Proclamation weakened the Confederacy and paved the way for the 13th Amendment which abolished slavery in 1865.

Enslaved persons are individuals and sometimes families who are subjected to forced labor, servitude, or bondage against their will. An enslaved person is subject to exploitation by another person through violence, coercion, or deception for the sake of economic advantage, social control, or personal gain. Enslaved individuals are denied basic human rights, including freedom, agency, dignity, and autonomy, and are treated as property rather than as human beings. Enslaved persons face physical and emotional abuse including separation from their families and communities.

Estate records, including slavery deeds, inventories, wills, and court documents, offer valuable insights into slavery in the United States. These records reveal information about slave ownership, economic investments, abolitionist efforts, and social dynamics, providing a deeper understanding of the institution of slavery and the strategies employed to combat it. However, challenges in analyzing these records include limited availability and potential biases.

Estate records include deeds, inventories, wills, and court documents. These records illuminate how the system of slavery in the United States perpetuated itself through slave-holding families’ inter-generational relationships. Among slave-holding families, estate records provide a window to the accumulation and transfer of generational wealth – mostly represented by the value of the enslaved people.

Free Blacks were individuals born into slavery who either escaped or purchased their freedom. Despite their achievements, they faced numerous challenges, including limited economic opportunities, racial segregation, voting restrictions, and restricted access to education. Nevertheless, free Blacks communities thrived, developing unique cultural practices such as independent churches, community organizations, and advocacy for their rights.

The Freedmen’s Bureau, a federal agency established during the Reconstruction era in the United States, played a crucial role in assisting former slaves, known as freedmen and women, in their transition from slavery to freedom. Its primary objectives were to provide employment assistance, offer education and training programs for literacy and vocational skills, establish and maintain schools for African American children, and facilitate the registration of former slaves to vote.

An agreement between two parties, typically a slave owner and an enslaved person, where the owner agrees to free the enslaved person in exchange for a specific sum of money. The bond acts as a promise of freedom if the conditions are met. Each bond specifies the payment amount and any release conditions.

Fugitive slaves risked their lives escaping to free states, relying on strangers, abolitionists, and sympathetic communities for help. They viewed their escape as a moral imperative, often seeking divine protection.

The Know-Nothing Party, active in the mid-19th century, was anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant, targeting Irish and German immigrants. They used radical tactics and exhibited racial undertones.

Manumission is the act of freeing an enslaved person, often through a formal declaration by the owner. It could involve conditions like services or loyalty in exchange for freedom and was historically used to gain favor.

Manumission papers are written documents that formally released enslaved people from bondage, detailing the enslaved person’s name, age, date, location, reason for emancipation, the enslaver’s signature, and witness signatures. Manumission documents were essential for enslaved people to prove their freedom and also for enslavers seeking to free people whom they had legally owned while minimizing liabilities.

The Middle Passage refers to the brutal journey of enslaved Africans forced onto slave ships traveling between the East Coast of Africa and their destinations in the Americas. 12.5 million Africans were forced forcibly removed from Africa between the 16th and 19th Centuries. Approximately 2 million Africans died in the Middle Passage due to disease, starvation and abuse.

Runaway slaves were individuals who had escaped from their slave owners and were seeking freedom. Although they were not yet free, they had managed to flee slavery. Often, they had to flee without any formal documentation or support, which made it difficult for them to find safe haven and protection. The documents in the collection vividly depict the harsh conditions they endured.

Sharecropping involved farmers providing land and tools in exchange for a crop portion. The documents imply a system where laborers, likely enslaved individuals, worked for minimal compensation under exploitative conditions.

At slave auctions, enslaved individuals were gathered and displayed for potential buyers to inspect and bid on. These individuals could be sold individually or as part of a group, depending on their value, skills, and physical condition. Slave auctions often took place in public spaces such as markets, courthouses, or designated auction houses. The experiences of enslaved individuals at these auctions were typically brutal and dehumanizing. They were subjected to harsh treatment before the sale, including physical examination, humiliation, and psychological manipulation. Auctioneers and bidders often used racist and dehumanizing language during these events.

A slave ship refers to a sailing vessel used during the transatlantic slave trade, where Africans were captured and forcibly transported from their homelands to the Americas where they and all their descendants would be sold into perpetual bondage. Slave ships played an integral role in the institution of slavery, carrying millions of people across the ocean under brutal, inhumane, and violent conditions. Many enslaved Africans did not survive the transatlantic journey. 

A system of forced labor and exploitation, dehumanizes individuals by treating them as property rather than human beings. It involves the capture, transportation, and sale of people against their will, often under threat or coercion. Forced labor compels individuals to work in harsh conditions, while exploitation reduces them to commodities bought and sold like goods. Lack of consent strips slaves of their freedom to choose their own path or make decisions about their lives.

The United States Colored Troops was a division of African American soldiers who fought in the Union Army during the American Civil War. These soldiers were primarily composed of freed slaves or those who had escaped from slavery. They were organized into regiments, which were then assigned to various units and battles across the country.