The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture recently acquired what is thought to be the largest and most complete set of historic Charleston Slave Badges.
The collection includes 146 rare badges dating as far back as 1804. It also features badges with makers’ marks and two with personalized inscriptions.
To share the stories of these objects with a worldwide audience, the museum has launched a Searchable Museum feature at Searchmuseum.com/SlaveBadges, which tells the historical significance of Charleston Slave Badges and the museum’s recent exciting acquisition.
“We are honored to share the story of enslaved African Americans who contributed to building the nation,” said Mary Elliott, museum curator. “It is a story that involves the juxtaposition of profit and power versus human cost. The story sheds light on human suffering and the power of the human spirit of skilled craftspeople who held onto their humanity and survived the system of slavery, leaving their mark on the landscape in more ways than one.”
The Slave Badge system was initially instituted in Charleston in 1783 as a form of control and a source of profit. The system required enslaved African Americans whose labors were leased out by their enslavers wear registered identifying badges. Enslavers paid a registration fee to the city for each enslaved person whose labor they leased out and, in turn, the city provided badges that registered leased enslaved laborers were required to wear. The enslavers and the city profited from the system while the enslaved received almost nothing.
However, the system did allow the enslaved to move about the city, network with other slaves and in some cases earn money to buy their freedom.
The recently acquired historic collection was compiled by renowned collector Harry S. Hutchins Jr., along with co-authors Brian E. Hutchins and historian Harlan Greene. The trio wrote the book “Slave Badges and the Slave Hire System in Charleston, South Carolina, 1783-1865,” which is highly regarded among collectors.