What is slave contracts?

Slave contracts refer to the legally binding agreements that were signed between slave owners and the individuals they purchased as slaves. These contracts were used to establish the terms and conditions of the enslaved person's labor, treatment, and ownership. They typically included the details of the slave's duties, duration of service, wages (if any), living conditions, and punishments for disobedience or rebellion.

In many cases, slave contracts were written in a language that the enslaved person did not understand and were used as a tool by slave owners to exert complete control over their lives. Most slave contracts were universally unfair to the enslaved person and were designed to favor the slave owner.

Slaves were subjected to brutal conditions, and the contracts did not provide any legal or social protection for them. These contracts were a part of the dehumanizing and oppressive system of slavery that existed in the United States and in other parts of the world for centuries. The abolition of slavery put an end to the practice of slave contracts, and today, their use is illegal and considered a violation of human rights.