The book "Soul by Soul" talks about one of the largest antebellum slave market that has happened in the South, specifically, in New Orleans. The author, Walter Johnson, describes the slave "pens" of New Orleans to establish a full understanding on how the American slave system worked. While in the pens, slaves were locked in cages or cells. A tight jail for hundreds of slaves with poor sanitary conditions, smells, and noise from all the slaves living together inside the Crammed quarters. Basically, a life as cattle living packed in a stable. He also wants the reader to understand slave trading from the perspective of the slave, the slave owner, and the slave trader. This history provides the reader a description of slavery on their harsh lives, …show more content…
Sellers would show the best possible face to the buyers in the showroom. Slaves were first dressed up that involved in feeding them bacon and milk to increase the fattening of the slave, resulting in a bulkier and "healthier" body. Then, slaves were bathed with oil to show a healthier look to the buyers in the showroom. Next was the grooming and haircuts, eyebrow plucking, etc., along with elegant outfits: the ladies in calico dresses, and men in suits and hats. Lastly, the slaves were then displayed in a showroom that were very elegant with nice wooden floors so one could see a slave being walked around to display his or her appearance. Some slaves were required to speak about themselves, like introducing themselves to buyers and to give his or her story. They would have to say for example, if they were an excellent domestic, great with outdoor labor, household chores, great cook, and so forth. That was only if there were no sales from a seller, then slaves were required to give his or her story about …show more content…
Sexual actions and sexual abusers were present at the slave house for the time. The more expensive slaves in women were typically "fancy" and those women were sexualized from their owners and even in the showrooms. Sellers would dress a women slave with very little amount of clothes to attract the eyes of the buyers in buying that "product". Of course, the sellers would raise the price for those because most of the buyers would buy the "fancy" ones for sex and