Hugh Hall was a commission merchant (specifically a broker or middleman) in Boston. His account book lists goods he imported and exported for his employers in Barbados. Hall exported commodities like horses, tools, candles, and other everyday household items. He was also active in the slave trade and forcibly transported enslaved Africans from Barbados to the Thirteen Colonies. In his account book, Hall uses the terms "Negro" and "Negro's" to refer to the sale and forced transport of enslaved Africans. The casual inclusion of human beings among the list of commodities like tools, candles, and horses illustrates the brutal, dehumanizing system of race-based slavery that had taken hold in the colonies.
Date Created:
1729
Format:
Document
Materials and Measurements:
13.5 cm x 8.4 cm
Object Identifier #:
Ms. N-1352
Hugh Hall was a commission merchant (specifically a broker or middleman) in Boston. His account book lists goods he imported and exported for his employers in Barbados. Hall exported commodities like horses, tools, candles, and other everyday household items. He was also active in the slave trade and forcibly transported enslaved Africans from Barbados to the Thirteen Colonies. In his account book, Hall uses the terms "Negro" and "Negro's" to refer to the sale and forced transport of enslaved Africans. The casual inclusion of human beings among the list of commodities like tools, candles, and horses illustrates the brutal, dehumanizing system of race-based slavery that had taken hold in the colonies.
Date Created:
1729
Format:
Document
Materials and Measurements:
13.5 cm x 8.4 cm
Object Identifier #:
Ms. N-1352