More evidence found of slaves owned by city

More than 10 years ago Brian Gore first stumbled across the "Negroes" laws that used to be on Savannah's books.

For the assistant to the city manager, seeing such laws wasn't a surprise because he'd heard of black and slave laws in other states. But two months ago he started a project transcribing the difficult-to-read handwritten script into type.

"I think it's significant in that it shows the involvement of the city government in slavery in Savannah," he said. "It shows just how intrinsic slavery was to life in Savannah and elsewhere in the county during the period of slavery."

The laws were separate from the question of whether the city actually owned slaves.

Since Monday, Glenda Anderson, director of the city's Research Library and Municipal Archives, has found records of at least 55 slaves acquired by the city during the 1800s.

The issue of slavery popped up this week in a political context when Nadra Enzi, a candidate for the District 1 Savannah City Council seat, asked the city to apologize for its role in the slave trade.

Gore had been working on documenting the city's laws for slaves and black people well before Enzi's request. He had hoped to give his transcript to the new council members when they took office after the first of the year. He also hoped to publish it on the city's Web site and publicize it during Black History Month.

"I think they should understand that slavery was not a bad habit of a few individuals such as smoking," he said. "This was a pervasive part of our society."

But this week he forwarded by e-mail to the council a draft of what he had found.

Although some council members, including Mayor Otis Johnson, were cool to the idea of an apology early in the week, it is expected they will discuss the topic during a workshop today.

He has found laws quarantining "free men of color" on ships for 40 days. Laws required slaves to have "badges" when they entered the city.

Laws banned slaves or free men from playing cards, dominoes or billiards. Slaves and free men could not watch parades.

Punishment for violating the laws included a fine and lashing.

Since Monday, Anderson has been digging through the indexes of 75 years of City Council minutes trying to document how many slaves the city bought. So far she's found about 10 references of acquisitions and sales of slaves.

Monday, Anderson found a deed from 1864 that showed the city paid $4,500 for a slave. Records uncovered since show the city sold a slave in 1842 for $252.50.

Slaves were used for street work, bridge repairs and weeding the squares.

She wrote in an e-mail to City Manager Michael Brown that there could be more references to acquisitions and sales not mentioned in the minutes' indexes.

"Identifying these would require reading 75 years of handwritten minutes," she wrote.

what the city records show

Some of the records of slave acquisitions by the city of Savannah during the 1800s.

For a full list and the transcribed text of the city's "Negroes" laws, go to savannahnow.com and click on this story.

The city sold a slave named Morris to cover costs of his hospitalization with smallpox.

"Acceptance and receipt" of 51 slaves in 1820 to do street work and levelling fortifications.

The city bought two slaves in 1831 to repair a bridge on the west end of the city.

The city bought two slaves in 1832 to "perform work for the Scavengers Department and the Streets and Lanes."

The city sold a runaway slave in 1840 or 1841. After deducting jail costs, the sale proceeds were $420.36, Anderson found.

The city sold a slave in 1842 for $252.50.

In 1823 the city rejected money from the sale of previously free persons of color. A state law provided that half of the proceeds of such sales went to the city. It's unclear why.

on the web

During the last session of the Georgia General Assembly, politicians debated whether the state should apologize for its role in slavery. You can read past stories about the issue at www.savannahnow.com/node/265609 and www. savannahnow.com/node/255970.


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