Reading 3: Advertisements for the Sale of “Negroes”

The following advertisements for the firm of Franklin and Armfield are examples of the numerous advertisements placed in local newspapers between 1828 and 1836. Unlike small slave purchasing operations that usually consisted of itinerant buyers, the firm expected those interested in selling enslaved persons to directly solicit the firm for business. This fact speaks to the success enjoyed by the firm; however, the firm also had numerous agents spread throughout the South, as noted in the second newspaper advertisement. In addition, the firm was large enough that it operated its own fleet of ships. “Unlike most of its competitors, from the very beginning, Franklin & Armfield ran newspaper advertisements year round.” ¹⁶

National Intelligencer, August 6, 1831. Courtesy of the Alexandria Library Special Collections.

National Intelligencer, May 9, 1833. Courtesy of the Alexandria Library Special Collections.

National Intelligencer, November 6, 1835. Courtesy of the Alexandria Library Special Collections.

Questions for Reading 3

1. Looking at the last advertisement, what particular facts point to the success of the firm?
2. Do you think that the firm’s claim that they were willing to pay higher prices for enslaved persons is accurate? Justify your answer. Refer to Reading 1 if necessary.
3. Looking at all three advertisements and noting their dates, what pattern do you notice? Do you believe that the firm is more prosperous in the later than earlier years? Why or why not?
4. The last advertisement notes “…every exertion used to promote the interest of shippers and comfort of passengers.” Do you believe the statement regarding the comfort of the passengers is accurate? Justify your answer. Refer to Reading 2 if necessary.

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¹⁶ Steven Deyle, Carry Me Back: The Domestic Slave Trade In American Life (New York: Oxford University Pres, 2005), 104.