Valuable Negroes for Sale - Fayetteville Court Auction Notice Historical Poster

This devastating historical document announces a court-ordered slave auction in Fayetteville, scheduled for Tuesday, January 3rd, advertising the sale of enslaved individuals by decree of the Court of Equity. The notice lists people by name and age: Kate (80 years), Old Sam (80), Lydia (45 to 50), Beck (about 45), Mitchell (25), Renty (15), Kelly (12), and "One Girl child," offering them for sale with six-month payment terms requiring bond and security.

The advertisement reveals multiple layers of slavery's cruelty: elderly individuals in their 80s being sold, a teenager and children torn from any semblance of family, and an unnamed girl child reduced to generic property. The court-ordered nature suggests this was likely an estate settlement or debt collection, demonstrating how the legal system itself facilitated human trafficking and family separation.

Historical Context: Court-ordered slave sales were common in the antebellum South, occurring when estates were settled, debts collected, or property disputes resolved. The judicial system treated enslaved people as assets to be liquidated alongside land and livestock. The offering of credit terms ("Terms 6 months") made slave ownership accessible to a broader class of buyers, perpetuating the institution. The presence of elderly individuals like 80-year-old Kate and Old Sam shows that even those past their prime working years were still considered property with monetary value.

This poster preserves crucial evidence of how slavery was embedded in legal and financial systems, honoring the memory of these named individuals and the unnamed child.

Available in multiple sizes with your choice of black or natural wood frame, or unframed for custom display.