Slave tags issued in Charleston, South Carolina, 1817-63 Slave tags issued in Charleston, South Carolina, 1817-63 Slave tags issued in Charleston, South Carolina, 1817-63 Slave tags issued in Charleston, South Carolina, 1817-63
    Slaves were a valuable commodity in the South. Many owners rented slaves on a yearly basis to municipalities, businesses, or private individuals who could not afford their own. In Charleston, South Carolina, rented slaves worked as railroad porters, fruit sellers, and domestic servants. In compliance with city law, they wore numbered copper tags for identification. Slaveholders had to purchase these tags from the city for a fee of two to seven dollars. The tags are pierced at the top, suggesting that slaves wore them on a string or chain around their necks.  
Slave tags issued in Charleston, South Carolina, 1817-63

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Copyright 2002 The Chicago Historical Society
  
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