Washington DC - NMAAHC: Slavery and Freedom - Slave Auction Block
This large gray carved marble Calc-silicate shist stone with a flattened top and bottom, squared back and sides, and a rounded front used as a slave auction block in Hagerstown, Maryland. A rectangular metal plaque is screwed to the top of the stone, with embossed text reading “GENERAL ANDREW JACKSON / AND HENRY CLAY / SPOKE FROM THIS SLAVE BLOCK / IN HAGERSTOWN / DURING THE YEAR 1830.”
Hagerstown, Maryland, was a hotbed of slave trading. Because it was so close to free state Pennsylvania, the local sheriff made money capturing and selling accused fugitives.
The auction block was a site of fear, humiliation, and uncertainty where loved ones were separated for life. Auction blocks could be found from colonial times well into the antebellum period. They were often seen in the public square, slave-trading offices, hotels, at the docks, in jail yards, and at courthouses. African Americans endured being sold on the block and being devalued to mere laboring hands, feet, backs, and wombs.
Slavery and Freedom, part of the the History Galleries, explores the complex story of slavery and freedom which rests at the core of our nation’s shared history. The exhibition begins in 15th century Africa and Europe, extends up through the founding of the United States, and concludes with the nation’s transformation during the Civil War and Reconstruction.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), administered by the Smithsonian Institute, was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in September 2016. The 350,000-square-foot, 10-story (five above and five below ground) was built to the postmodern design of Phil Freelon's Freelon Group, Sir David Adjaye's Adjaye Associates and Davis Brody Bond. The above ground floors feature an inverted step pyramid surrounded by a bronze architectural scrim, which reflects a crown used in Yoruba culture. With more than 40,000 objects in its collection, although only about 3,500 items are on display, the NMAAHC is the world's largest museum dedicated to African-American history and culture.
The Smithsonian Institution, an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazines, was established in 1846. Although concentrated in Washington DC, its collection of over 136 million items is spread through 19 museums, a zoo, and nine research centers from New York to Panama.
Washington DC - NMAAHC: Slavery and Freedom - Slave Auction Block
This large gray carved marble Calc-silicate shist stone with a flattened top and bottom, squared back and sides, and a rounded front used as a slave auction block in Hagerstown, Maryland. A rectangular metal plaque is screwed to the top of the stone, with embossed text reading “GENERAL ANDREW JACKSON / AND HENRY CLAY / SPOKE FROM THIS SLAVE BLOCK / IN HAGERSTOWN / DURING THE YEAR 1830.”
Hagerstown, Maryland, was a hotbed of slave trading. Because it was so close to free state Pennsylvania, the local sheriff made money capturing and selling accused fugitives.
The auction block was a site of fear, humiliation, and uncertainty where loved ones were separated for life. Auction blocks could be found from colonial times well into the antebellum period. They were often seen in the public square, slave-trading offices, hotels, at the docks, in jail yards, and at courthouses. African Americans endured being sold on the block and being devalued to mere laboring hands, feet, backs, and wombs.
Slavery and Freedom, part of the the History Galleries, explores the complex story of slavery and freedom which rests at the core of our nation’s shared history. The exhibition begins in 15th century Africa and Europe, extends up through the founding of the United States, and concludes with the nation’s transformation during the Civil War and Reconstruction.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), administered by the Smithsonian Institute, was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in September 2016. The 350,000-square-foot, 10-story (five above and five below ground) was built to the postmodern design of Phil Freelon's Freelon Group, Sir David Adjaye's Adjaye Associates and Davis Brody Bond. The above ground floors feature an inverted step pyramid surrounded by a bronze architectural scrim, which reflects a crown used in Yoruba culture. With more than 40,000 objects in its collection, although only about 3,500 items are on display, the NMAAHC is the world's largest museum dedicated to African-American history and culture.
The Smithsonian Institution, an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazines, was established in 1846. Although concentrated in Washington DC, its collection of over 136 million items is spread through 19 museums, a zoo, and nine research centers from New York to Panama.