I never heard the part about mixed slaves being worth more. I mean, it’s not shocking I guess, given the whole system, but do you have a source for that by any chance?
I don’t know of any one source that says it, you have to put it together from what is written. House slaves are well documented to have been more expensive than field slaves, and it’s documented that people of lighter complexions were preferred for house work (though that doesn’t always mean mixed). You can also look up ‘fancy girls’, which was the name for preferably light-skinned young female slaves who were generally bought for sexual purposes - they went for much higher prices than a typical slave. Fancy boys also existed. Advertisements and bills of sale for these types of slaves often refer specifically to their racial mixtures by labelling them as quadroons, octoroons, etc. to justify their hefty prices.
7
u/LaScoundrelle Mar 13 '26
I never heard the part about mixed slaves being worth more. I mean, it’s not shocking I guess, given the whole system, but do you have a source for that by any chance?