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- Frontmatter
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- LETTER XI
- LETTER XII
- LETTER XIII
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- LETTER XVIII
- LETTER XIX
- LETTER XX
- LETTER XXI
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- LETTER XXIII
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Summary
You shall now learn how men buy and sell women in America. “Elizabeth” was the first who was made to mount the platform. She was a very genteel-looking girl, about eighteen years of age, evidently the daughter of a white man, and said to be “a good seamstress and house-servant — excellente couturière et domestique de maison.” 600 dollars was the first bid, and 810 the last, at which price (about 170l.) Elizabeth—so young and so interesting—was sold!
“Susan,” too, was a mulatto—the daughter of a white man. She was short, dumpy, and full-faced, about sixteen years of age, “a plain seamstress and house-servant.” She appeared exceedingly modest, and kept her eyes on the floor in front of the platform. On that floor, as usual, the filthy dealers in human flesh were ever and anon pouring forth immense quantities of tobacco juice. For Susan the first bid was 500 dollars, and the highest 700 (nearly 150l.), at which she was “knocked down.” But the fat old man, as before, in his peculiar drawling nasal tones, said, “The 700 dollars was my bid, and therefore Susan is not sold.” Poor Susan was very sad and gloomy.
” Betsy,” another “plain seamstress and house-servant,” about sixteen years of age, also the daughter of a white man, had a fine intelligent eye, and her effort to restrain her feelings was evidently great. The offers, however, not suiting, the auctioneer closed the exhibition, which had lasted an hour.
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- American Scenes and Christian SlaveryA Recent Tour of Four Thousand Miles in the United States, pp. 64 - 70Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2009