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African American men, women and children pick cotton in a cotton field and place it in straw bushel baskets, circa 1890. Lightfoot/Getty Images

Welcome to the Rare Slavery Papers Demo Page, a digital exhibition that illustrates the deeply complex and often painful legacy of slavery through the preservation and presentation of rare historical primary source documents. This curated collection centers on the transatlantic slave trade, abolitionist efforts, and the lived experiences of enslaved individuals, shedding light on the social, economic, and legal systems that enabled and sustained slavery for centuries.

Spanning the 17th to 19th centuries, the Rare Slavery Papers comprise a wide array of primary sources, including personal letters, legal records, estate inventories, manuscripts, and firsthand narratives. Together, these materials offer a raw and revealing glimpse into the machinery of slavery, both its bureaucratic normalization and its human toll. Each document is a testament to the voices, transactions, and resistance that shaped the Atlantic world and the American South during this critical period in history.

Am I Not a Man and a Brother? Pin Dish

This digital archive draws from the physical holdings of the Meek-Eaton Black Archives Research Center and Museum at Florida A&M University, and represents an effort to preserve, digitize, and make accessible these rare and invaluable artifacts. The website is organized into four main categories:

Correspondence: Private and official letters between slaveholders, political figures, and military leaders that expose the power dynamics and racial ideologies of the time.
Estate Papers: Inventories and records detailing the valuation of property—tragically, including enslaved people—used to manage and transfer wealth.
Legal Proceedings: Court cases, deeds, and receipts that demonstrate how the institution of slavery was enforced and legitimized by law.
Literary Works: Writings that range from propaganda justifying slavery to the personal narratives of those who endured it, giving voice to the enslaved.

One poignant example in the collection is a letter from Bennett Dell to General W.G. Worthe, two key figures during the Florida War (also known as the Second Seminole War). This correspondence reveals the complex racial tensions of the era, not only between white slaveowners and Black individuals, but also among Native American, African, and Creole communities entangled in slavery’s web.

Equally unsettling are the estate documents and financial receipts that coldly refer to enslaved individuals as “assets” or “collections.” Many of the people listed were recorded without names, identified only by age, gender, or work ability, reflecting the dehumanizing nature of the slave economy.

The Rare Slavery Papers collection serves as a powerful educational resource and a solemn reminder of the enduring impact of slavery on American history. We invite scholars, students, and the general public to explore these documents not just as relics of the past, but as tools for reflection, learning, and social justice in the present.