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Slave Auction Block

"General Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay spoke from this slave block in Hagerstown during the Year 1830"

 

This plaque can be found at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. It is attached to what was likely a slave auction block, originally in front of the courthouse in Hagerstown, MD. The block, with the plaque, are now on display in the Museum in Washington, DC. Now, its historical significance is to show the tools of the slave economy in the United States. The plaque shows that it was originally considered important because two notable politicians spoke from it once in 1830.

The Smithsonian also publishes <a href="https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2015.213">higher quality photos</a>.

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