United States Slave Trade

Title: United States Slave Trade
Date: 1830
Description: While not an exact image of the Mall, this abolitionist print shows the role of the federal city in the interstate slave trade in the early 1800s. Slaves worked, lived, were held captive, and sold within sight of the Capitol building. In this print, the dome of the Capitol is visible above the head of a woman who, with her children, is being forced onto a slave ship, possibly sold to the deep south where working conditions were often very harsh, even deadly.
Extent: 10 x 17 cm. (engraving plate)
Source: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. View original.
Coverage: 1830-1859
Original Format: engraving on wove paper