Antebellum Era

Appraised, Bartered, and Sold: The Value of Human Chattels, a Perspectives on History lecture by Daina Ramey Berry, Michigan State University

Berry discusses slave prices in the antebellum South, exploring both planters’ criteria and slaves’ perceptions of their value. Berry’s research reveals interesting patterns with contemporary relevance to slave insurance claims and reparations. Approximate run time: 1 hour.
 

The North Carolina State Capitol, a conversation with Terra Schramm, North Carolina Historic Sites

The North Carolina State Capitol was a seat of government that was nomadic for much of its early history. After the original State House in Raleigh was destroyed by a fire in 1831, the General Assembly ordered that a new and enlarged capitol be built. Terra Schramm, the education and outreach coordinator for the State Capitol discusses the history, architecture, personalities, and legends behind the building and grounds. Approximate run time: 23 minutes.

Was I Born for This? North Carolina Slave Voices, a talk given by Lucinda MacKethan, Professor of English Emerita, North Carolina State University

MacKethan discusses the way in which African American writers in the 19th century fought against slavery and racism using the power of the written word. She includes the narratives of Harriet Jacobs, Moses Roper, and Lunsford Lane and the poetry of George Moses Horton. Approximate run time: 1 hour 2 minutes.