Charleston, South Carolina slave badge, dated 1822. This example was issued for a "servant," someone who typically would do domestic work inside a home. The front is clearly struck “CHARLESTON / 1822 / SERVANT / N. 469.” The obverse features the mark of its maker, John Joseph Lafar, a local metalsmith. 

"1822" is significant in that it was the year that Denmark Vesey, an enslaved man in Charleston, attempted to lead a slave revolution in the city. Modeled after the successful 1791 slave rebellion in Haiti, Vesey called for his followers to execute their enslavers and liberate the city. His plot was thwarted, however, and Vesey along with 35 co-conspirators were hanged. It is interesting to wonder if the enslaved person who wore this badge knew Vesey, and what they thought of the foiled insurrection.

Charleston slave badges are sobering visual evidence of a system for hiring out slaves that was unique to that city between 1800-1865. During this period, the local government mandated that enslaved people wear or otherwise display badges like this when they were hired out by their owners (note the small hole at the top center of this example). The city issued the badges in return for a fee paid by the slaveholders. The objects were then inscribed with an occupation, year of issue, and registration number unique to that slave, and when worn gave the slave some freedom of movement around Charleston. That said, the wages earned by a hired-out slave typically belonged to their owners.

Few objects are as profoundly impactful as a Charleston slave badge. This example, without any doubt, was worn by an enslaved African American while they were hired out to work, likely for the financial benefit of their owner. Very few artifacts exist that so clearly and coldly demonstrate the dehumanizing nature of slavery.

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Abolitionist, Slave, Slavery, Emancipation Proclamation, 13th Amendment, Civil Rights, Abraham Lincoln]