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最大的奴隶拍卖会
1859年3月3日
这场拍卖会已经广告了好几个星期。萨瓦那市里的每一间旅馆都住满了可能的买家。在拍卖会开始的前几天，这些买家都到赛马场去看那些即将被出售的奴隶。当买家强迫奴隶张开嘴巴，检查他们的牙齿，而且还捏他们的手臂与大腿测试肌肉的强度时，奴隶们可说是被羞辱了。奴隶们不发一语，除非他们想要被检查他们的买家买走。他们知道他们全家人可以被同一个买家买走，但是所谓全家人，是指先生与妻子，妈妈跟小孩，而不是兄弟、姊妹，或是父母。有些奴隶还哀求买家买下他们全家人。
The sale had been advertised for several weeks. Every hotel in Savannah was filled with potential buyers. In the days before the auction, potential buyers went to the racetrack to look over the people for sale. The slaves were humiliated when the buyers pulled open their mouths to see their teeth and they pinched their arms and legs to check for muscle strength. The slaves said nothing, unless they hoped to be bought by the person examining them. They knew they were to be sold in families, but "family" was defined as husband and wife, mother and young child, not brother or sister or parent. Some tried to convince prospective buyers to purchase their entire family.
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