Adolescent Values in Slavery

Adolescent and Young Adult Values in Slavery

• Enslaved people, particularly those aged 11-22, were highly valued for their labor and reproductive potential.
• Average appraised values for enslaved women were $517, and for men, $610. Average sale prices were $515 for women and $662 for men.
• Auctioneers often highlighted desirable traits, encouraging high bids, which reflected the commodification of enslaved people.
• Enslaved people were seen as commodities, not humans, and their worth was determined by their perceived work capacity and ability to reproduce.

Soul Values amidst Commodification

• Adolescence and young adulthood were challenging, with individuals facing separation from families and the constant threat of sexual exploitation.
• Enslaved people developed and clung to "soul values"-a personal sense of worth and spirituality that could not be bought or sold. These were often reinforced by supportive family members.
• Soul values sometimes manifested as a deep sense of devotion, prophetic visions, or a quiet certainty of hope for freedom.
• Some expressed soul values by resisting slavery through running away and escaping.

Commodification Through Mortality

• Enslavers often used death as another means of controlling enslaved people.

• Enslavers appraised and insured enslaved people as if they were property even after death, reflecting their financial investment.

• Post-mortem examinations were common, used to assess the cause of death and the value of the body.

• Enslaved women faced reproductive exploitation, which further contributed to their devaluation as commodities.

• Enslavers often tried to maximize profit through reproduction and prevented enslaved family members from being reunited.

Health & Value

• Enslavers and medical practitioners evaluated enslaved people's physical health, particularly their reproductive capacity.
• Physical health determined an enslaved person's worth, with "sound" individuals commanding higher prices and greater profit potential.
• Enslaved people sometimes resisted this commodification of their bodies by feigning or exacerbating illness, influencing the valuations.
• Enslaved people also showed agency in resisting exploitation through self-harm, suicide, infanticide, and other forms of resistance, which affected their valuations.

Reproductive Exploitation

• Enslaved men and women were often subject to sexual exploitation and forced breeding.
• Many enslaved people experienced sexual coercion and assault by enslavers and other individuals.
• Enslavers used their ownership of enslaved people to control their sexual behavior.
• Reproduction through coercion greatly augmented the profit potential of a slaveholding enterprise
• The value of enslaved bodies often increased as their reproductive capacity developed.

Resistance and Soul Value

• Despite the dehumanization and exploitation, enslaved people maintained a strong sense of identity, resisting in various ways.
• The enslaved, during the auction and throughout their lives, displayed resistance and agency in the form of self-harm, acts of refusal (to have sex or work), flight, or other ways that asserted their desire for freedom of the spirit.
• Enslaved people often found strength and solidarity in their families and communities, reinforcing their soul values.
• Through their stories and resilience, enslaved people demonstrate their unwavering belief in their inherent worth and their determination to defy the oppressive systems that sought to commodify their humanity.