Sale of Slaves: 12 Negroes 1851 Missouri Auction

Chilling historical document: an 1851 slave auction advertisement from Madison County, Missouri, announcing the sale of "12 NEGROES, Men, Women, and Children" along with farm property. This brutal poster, dated December 31, 1851, advertises a public sale by R.M. Frier offering human beings for purchase on credit terms, treating enslaved people as mere property to be sold alongside livestock, farm equipment, and land. The casual language—listing men, women, and children as commodities with payment plans—reveals the complete dehumanization at the heart of American slavery. These auction notices were commonplace in antebellum America, posted in town squares and published in newspapers, advertising the buying and selling of human souls. A stark reminder of slavery's horror and America's original sin, essential for historical education and remembrance, available in three sizes with your choice of black or silver aluminum frame.