Transcripts For CSPAN3 Old Slave Mart 20160825

Into the back seat of the car. Knows, when he gets in that car what will happen. Black man in alabama, you know. Sunday night at 8 00 eastern on cspans q and a. 100 years ago president Woodrow Wilson signed the bill creating the National Park service. Today we look back on the past century of these caretakers of americas natural and historic treasures. Beginning at 10 00 eastern and throughout the day we take you to National Park Service Sites across the country as record by cspan. At 7 00 p. M. Eastern were live from the National Park services most visited historic home, arlington house trork, the robe lee. We stalk with Robert Stanton and brandon buys who will oversee the upcoming year long restoration of the mansion, slave quarters and grounds. Today the 100th anniversary of the National Park service, live from arlington house at 7 00 p. M. Eastern on American History tv on cspan 3. We are sitting in the former sales room for the ryans mart auction complex. Were up on the second floor, but originally this building didnt have a second floor. There was just a long, narrow building that was part of a complex of four buildings that made up ryans mart. We know that charleston played a very significant role during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. And it was a major port of entry for enslaved africans coming into what is now the united states. About 40 of all enslaved africans coming into this country in the 18th century entered through the port of charleston. But the Transatlantic Slave Trade was abolished in 1808, although there was much smuggling. What we focus on here is the domestic slave trade, since the majority of enslaved people who were sold here at ryans mart were americanborn, they were the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of those enslaved africans that had been brought here against their will generations before. In 1856 when we see the first advertised slave sale here, a 20yearold woman named lucinda, this building wasnt even here. If you look at the walls around us, youll notice that this was actually an alley. It was an alley that led into the larger auction complex. And there were three buildings there. The Main Building was a fourstory jail or barrack, where enslaved people were held before a jail. There was a twostory structure that was used as a kitchen. There was also a smaller structure in the Southwest Corner of the lot. That was described as a dead house or a morgue. And if a slave trader knew there was an enslaved person in that jail that was sick, they would remove that person to this other structure so as not to infect the larger population. Thousands of enslaved people were sold here between 1856 and 1863. The largest slave sale that i know about, that was advertised was 256 enslaved people. In todays dollars, a very enslaved man who was in the prime of his life, very strong and ablebodied, could be sold for in today, about 35,000. And of course, if you had a special trade or skill, you would be worth more. Enslaved people had to be prepared for sale. Especially if they had traveled from a great distance. If an enslaved person, lets say they were coming from richmond, virginia, and coming here to ryans mart to be sold, could take weeks or months traveling on a good day, about 20 miles, 20 to 25 miles a day. It could take a long time. And by the time they got here, to ryans mart, they definitely wouldnt be in any condition to be sold. They would be bruised. Probably with the shackles and chains they had been wearing, especially the men, who were shackled the entire time. Very thin, dirty. They were no position to be sold on the Auction Block. A potential buyer wouldnt, wouldnt want to purchase them. So arriving in a place like this, this auction complex, thomas ryan and then later ezebia oaks would have a staff of black and white, enslaved and free people here working to get those people who were coming to be sold, ready for the Auction Block. Enslaved people were fed very well before auction, trying to fatten them up. They would also be provided soap and water here at ryans mart, to wash themselves. And sometimes they would also be given palm oil or some other kind of oil and encouraged to rub that into their skin. So that they could appear healthier and their muscles would look more defined and they would look bulked up. So all of that would happen. And of course the last thing that had to happen was people had to find out when the auction was going to happen. And so ads would have been placed in the local papers. And some of those larger slave auctions would be advertised throughout the southeast. So if you were a slave trader in the south and someone said ryans mart, you would know, they would know where you were talking about. Enslaved people, you would think that they wouldnt have any agency, they wouldnt have any power in a situation like this. Or maybe as they stood on an Auction Block, no power. They knew they were going to be sold, but there were things that they did. For instance, if there was an enslaved man who was on the Auction Block and a potential buyer started bidding on him, a potential buyer who he knew of, maybe he would start speaking up and saying, you know, if you buy me, i will work for you. Ill work very hard for you, sir. And maybe start bragging about how, how strong he was, or how skilled he was. And maybe even try to encourage that buyer to purchase his wife and child, also. And so enslaved people did that. It wasnt because they were happy with their lot in life or happy about being enslaved or content. This man was trying to keep his family together. And he was going to do anything and say anything to achieve that. The last advertised slave sale here at ryans mart occurred in november 1863. And it wasnt until about 1936 that Miriam Wilson purchased the building and she knew and many people knew that this was a place where enslaved people were sold. And she wanted to open this building as a museum