Into the Free market

American slavery and Reconstruction are often treated as separate events in American history. In fact, many history courses separate American history at the year 1865 upon the conclusion of the Civil War. Yet it is apparent that many slaves engaged in market activity throughout the southern United States in an “informal” or “internal” market economy, acquiring money, property, and important market knowledge that prepared them for freedom. Following manumission or emancipation, many freedmen utilized their knowledge of the market to engage in the free market economy from multiple perspectives. Employing this knowledge, many freedmen successfully maneuvered themselves from a powerful understanding of the market gained during slavery. In the growing industrial, commercial, and consumer markets of the American South, they used such knowledge as blueprints to find work, acquire property, and save money. Analysis of slave narratives, official Freedman’s Bureau documents, banking records, and other sources, provides examples of market continuities used by slaves and freedmen to understand the market and merge into a racially volatile free society and war torn economy. This study suggests that themes of freedom were solidifying themselves during slavery through the slaves’ understanding of the market, and that once free, they utilized these notions to engage the market as free laborers, sharecroppers, and consumers. Freedmen negotiated labor contracts, filed complaints regarding pay and work conditions, sought and acquired property, and entered the market as business owners and consumers. The quickness with which this happened suggests that many acquired such skills as slaves and were aware of the power of the market to improve their lives. Slaves were employed in a variety of ways; some were allotted tasks that once complete allowed them to work for themselves, others were hired out, giving them extensive knowledge of wages and labor. In other cases, slaves understood their own value within the market as commodities and commerce themselves. All of this suggests that the market was interacting with slaves prior to freedom and providing them with the necessary knowledge to understand and engage in greater market activity once free. As slaves obtained freedom, they used these notions eagerly, and in some cases aggressively, as a means to secure their place within free society. Because the system of slavery had relegated the slaves’ status on the bases of race alone, once free, many freedmen discovered that the majority of white society was unwilling, or unprepared, to provide the legal and social protection needed to fully secure an equal position. This hindered their overall ability as a class to accumulate wealth and security regardless of how hard they tried. The overall picture suggests that slaves were well aware of, and actively engaged in, market activity once free, seeking land, work, and “luxuries” as their newly free status encouraged market participation. In certain ways, the knowledge learned during slavery made the Reconstruction years between 1865 and 1880 a time of great advancement for former southern slaves.