Human servitude is a sad and deplorable a piece of American history. Most Americans are acquainted with what slavery must have been like in its southern agrarian setting. But few Americans know much about slavery in southern cities. In the urban south, slaves were generally a part of a skilled or semi-skilled labor force. A slave's worth to their owner depended on the work the slave performed. In the event that a slave had an ability that could be showcased, then the slave's work could be sold and the wages paid right to the owner.
A few cities developed a framework to contract out slaves. By the second decade of the eighteenth century, slavery for contract was controlled by local authorities. While Savannah, Mobile, New Orleans, Norfolk, and Charleston managed the practice through "badge laws," just Charleston and Charleston Neck, a little suburb of Charleston, issued slave contract badges or tags. The badge permitted employment without contracts or other documentation. Slaves, by wearing a badge, could be distinguished from runaways or free blacks.
These communities regulated slave hires and collected taxes on them. Skilled white workers and merchants griped about slaves undercutting their income. While provincial blacks held onto much of their original culture, slave culture was much different in urban settings. Slaves frequently existed separate from their holders and had an extraordinary amount of free range. Urban slaves had contact with liberated slaves, free blacks, non-white slave owners, and retailers who catered to black customers. This situation had a tendency to undermine control over slaves. Managing slaves then fell into the hands of local government.
Starting in 1712 enactments were passed in Charleston to control slaves-for-hire and required contracts. In 1751 skilled slaves were made to wear to wear tags with their specific trade and in 1783 the city of Charleston included produce vendors and fishermen among them. The slaves were to wear paper tags or badges, yet none have survived that were dated before 1800. After some changes in these ordinances, the practice of wearing badges was terminated in 1790. No authentic pre-1800 dated tags are known to exist.
The practice was re-created in 1800 by a mandate in Charleston, to check the expanding autonomy of the urban slave. A statute in 1789 banned slaves and free blacks from offering certain merchandise without a permit. By 1796 it was unlawful for slaves to be in business for themselves or to teach their trade to other slaves. Slave merchants were seen to be gaining larger control of Charleston's economy.
The 1800 law charged a fee by occupation, planning to decrease the amount of slaves included in for-hire activities. It disallowed slaveholder non-residents from slave for-hire, and restricted the amount of slave contracts to six for each resident. Slave contract laws likewise obliged the Charleston city marshals to build and look after stands for contracting watchmen and other day workers, and to set working hours and compensation plans. The yearly expense was $1 for servants and $2 for doormen, expanding in 1843 to $2 for servants and up to $7 for other skills. The slave populace in Charleston proper was 15,354 in 1830, dropping to 14,673 in 1840.
Records of badge permit receipts in Charleston uncover the prevalence of slave contracts. $14,000 in badge expenses were charged in 1848, $26,000 in 1859. Possibly as many as one in three of Charleston's slaves wore badges in the 1820s through the 1840s. Up to half of the Charleston slaves had badges after 1840. Badges were also issued in Charleston Neck throughout 1849 and 1850.
A slave renewed his permit every year and appropriated another badge with another permit number. In a few cases the past year's badge may have been reissued, the old permit number and the date destroyed and the new data punched into what had been the back of the badge. This has been seen with badges dated 1862 and 1863 and presumably reflects the strained situation in Charleston under the Union attack. Slave statutes were present in Charleston until the Union attack started to break down the city's social structure. The last known dated tag is 1864.
Slave tags were produced from copper sheet cut to size and shape. Most were square, in the vicinity of 1-1/2" on each side. Tags issued before 1820 are bigger. The Ford Collection 1817 Fruiterer's badge measures roughly 2 inches square. Some other know tags are round or uniquely shaped.
Early tags were issued in lesser numbers and may have been 'hand crafted". Later badges were issued every twelve-months in bigger numbers and have a more uniform appearance. Most square badges were trimmed to cut off the sharp corners. Since the badge laws obliged the badge to be worn in open view, all tags bear a hole for the necklace in one corner. The badge then hung with one point down, and the badge's engraving would be readable horizontally.
Early slave tags were generally marked by the issuing silversmith. In 1800 Ralph Atmar Jr. marked tags "ATMAR." From 1801 to around 1810, tags have been found stamped "C PRINCE." John J. Lafar stamped them with his punch "LAFAR" from 1811 to 1828. Lafar was a well known Charleston silversmith and city marshal. Tags are not known to have been hallmarked by the producer after 1828. As per the badge laws of 1800 and 1806 practically all tags are stamped with the city, the date, a serial number and the occupation.
The most common slave tag is that of servant. Approximately three out of each five surviving badges were issued to servants. Porter badges, around one in five. One in ten known were issued to mechanics. The rarest occupations found on slave tags are those of fruiterer, carpenter, and fisherman. Tags were additionally worn by chimney sweeps, bread carters, and dog handlers. Badges for these last three occupations are not known to have survived.
Slave badges may be the only slave item that might be absolutely ensured to have been made for and worn by a slave. With the included date and occupation, it is no big surprise the tags are highly collectible.
Finally, about fakes, reproduction and fantasy slave tags. There are NO known real slave tags from anyplace with the exception of Charleston and Charleston Neck. All such tags seen to date are fantasy/fake pieces. All completely hand engraved tags are fake.
A few cities developed a framework to contract out slaves. By the second decade of the eighteenth century, slavery for contract was controlled by local authorities. While Savannah, Mobile, New Orleans, Norfolk, and Charleston managed the practice through "badge laws," just Charleston and Charleston Neck, a little suburb of Charleston, issued slave contract badges or tags. The badge permitted employment without contracts or other documentation. Slaves, by wearing a badge, could be distinguished from runaways or free blacks.
These communities regulated slave hires and collected taxes on them. Skilled white workers and merchants griped about slaves undercutting their income. While provincial blacks held onto much of their original culture, slave culture was much different in urban settings. Slaves frequently existed separate from their holders and had an extraordinary amount of free range. Urban slaves had contact with liberated slaves, free blacks, non-white slave owners, and retailers who catered to black customers. This situation had a tendency to undermine control over slaves. Managing slaves then fell into the hands of local government.
Starting in 1712 enactments were passed in Charleston to control slaves-for-hire and required contracts. In 1751 skilled slaves were made to wear to wear tags with their specific trade and in 1783 the city of Charleston included produce vendors and fishermen among them. The slaves were to wear paper tags or badges, yet none have survived that were dated before 1800. After some changes in these ordinances, the practice of wearing badges was terminated in 1790. No authentic pre-1800 dated tags are known to exist.
The practice was re-created in 1800 by a mandate in Charleston, to check the expanding autonomy of the urban slave. A statute in 1789 banned slaves and free blacks from offering certain merchandise without a permit. By 1796 it was unlawful for slaves to be in business for themselves or to teach their trade to other slaves. Slave merchants were seen to be gaining larger control of Charleston's economy.
The 1800 law charged a fee by occupation, planning to decrease the amount of slaves included in for-hire activities. It disallowed slaveholder non-residents from slave for-hire, and restricted the amount of slave contracts to six for each resident. Slave contract laws likewise obliged the Charleston city marshals to build and look after stands for contracting watchmen and other day workers, and to set working hours and compensation plans. The yearly expense was $1 for servants and $2 for doormen, expanding in 1843 to $2 for servants and up to $7 for other skills. The slave populace in Charleston proper was 15,354 in 1830, dropping to 14,673 in 1840.
Records of badge permit receipts in Charleston uncover the prevalence of slave contracts. $14,000 in badge expenses were charged in 1848, $26,000 in 1859. Possibly as many as one in three of Charleston's slaves wore badges in the 1820s through the 1840s. Up to half of the Charleston slaves had badges after 1840. Badges were also issued in Charleston Neck throughout 1849 and 1850.
A slave renewed his permit every year and appropriated another badge with another permit number. In a few cases the past year's badge may have been reissued, the old permit number and the date destroyed and the new data punched into what had been the back of the badge. This has been seen with badges dated 1862 and 1863 and presumably reflects the strained situation in Charleston under the Union attack. Slave statutes were present in Charleston until the Union attack started to break down the city's social structure. The last known dated tag is 1864.
Slave tags were produced from copper sheet cut to size and shape. Most were square, in the vicinity of 1-1/2" on each side. Tags issued before 1820 are bigger. The Ford Collection 1817 Fruiterer's badge measures roughly 2 inches square. Some other know tags are round or uniquely shaped.
Early tags were issued in lesser numbers and may have been 'hand crafted". Later badges were issued every twelve-months in bigger numbers and have a more uniform appearance. Most square badges were trimmed to cut off the sharp corners. Since the badge laws obliged the badge to be worn in open view, all tags bear a hole for the necklace in one corner. The badge then hung with one point down, and the badge's engraving would be readable horizontally.
Early slave tags were generally marked by the issuing silversmith. In 1800 Ralph Atmar Jr. marked tags "ATMAR." From 1801 to around 1810, tags have been found stamped "C PRINCE." John J. Lafar stamped them with his punch "LAFAR" from 1811 to 1828. Lafar was a well known Charleston silversmith and city marshal. Tags are not known to have been hallmarked by the producer after 1828. As per the badge laws of 1800 and 1806 practically all tags are stamped with the city, the date, a serial number and the occupation.
The most common slave tag is that of servant. Approximately three out of each five surviving badges were issued to servants. Porter badges, around one in five. One in ten known were issued to mechanics. The rarest occupations found on slave tags are those of fruiterer, carpenter, and fisherman. Tags were additionally worn by chimney sweeps, bread carters, and dog handlers. Badges for these last three occupations are not known to have survived.
Slave badges may be the only slave item that might be absolutely ensured to have been made for and worn by a slave. With the included date and occupation, it is no big surprise the tags are highly collectible.
Finally, about fakes, reproduction and fantasy slave tags. There are NO known real slave tags from anyplace with the exception of Charleston and Charleston Neck. All such tags seen to date are fantasy/fake pieces. All completely hand engraved tags are fake.