Arrival of slave ships in the Caribbean
Once a slave ship made it to the Caribbean, the cargo of enslaved people would be sold at auction.
Enslaved people were prepared for sale so that they would reach as high a price as possible. Their skin was rubbed with oil to make them appear healthy. Enslaved people who had been punished with whipping or flogging had their scars disguised by filling them with tar. Older people often had their heads shaved to hide signs of grey hairs.
There were two methods of selling enslaved people:
- In the auction, an auctioneer sold enslaved people individually or in lots (as a group).
- The other method was the 鈥榮cramble'. Enslaved people were kept together in an enclosure. Once all the buyers had paid, the enclosure gate was thrown open and the buyers rushed in to grab whichever enslaved people they wanted.
Enslaved people left behind were called 鈥榬efuse鈥. They were sold cheaply to anyone who鈥檇 take them, often leading to their quick death. Enslaved people who resisted or fought back were sent to 鈥榮easoning camps鈥.