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6 Chalmers St, Charleston, SC 29401, USA
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Historic Charleston prospered like no other city during the times of slave trading. Slaves were off loaded at the wharfs and taken to a short distance to be auctioned to traders and to parts further south. The Old Slave Mart Museum on Chalmers St is housed in the same building that was constructed for the purpose of jailing and selling slaves while remaining out of sight. The Mart was the most renown and busiest of the slave trading businesses in town. The museum has two floors of exhibits. The top tells the history of the transatlantic slave trade. The bottom or first floor portrays the activities of domestic slave trading in SC and at the Mart specifically. Admission is very reasonable; under $10.
So, I visited the “Old Slave Museum” in Charleston while vacationing in South Carolina. I was informed by one of the guides that there were 47 different auction sites, within a 4-block radius! 😡 He said that the “Mart” processed and sold “conservatively” 10,000 Africans, and that’s just this one site alone. Keep in mind that this is ONLY in Charleston, not counting other towns and States in this country, and this went on for 200+ years. So, I asked him my “litmus test” question: “with everything that you shared with me and all that you know about this history, what are your thoughts on “reparations”? In front of a half-dozen or so tourist, he began to stutter, and trip over his words ultimately saying it is a complex question and that he doesn’t think it’s fair to be punished for the sins of the forefathers. I responded by saying that his answer was disappointing and should have been a resounding YES! He humbly agreed. 🫤 Talk about avoiding accountability…with all of the unimaginable details that he is keenly aware of, unlike a typical unaware “shielded from history” American, he still cannot acknowledge the need for “repair” from the enormous damage inflicted on Gods chosen people. ❤️🖤💚
Overall the museum has a solid foundation of slavery and also the role of it in Charleston. There are 2 floors split up from broad to specific. You start upstairs and then come back downstairs. There are some neat artifacts included with primary documents. There was not as many interactive elements that other museums have. Most of it is just pictures and readings on the wall. I would say that this is a one and done thing in Charleston.
Was not as complex as we believed ot would be but in any case a important part of history that must be told. Take time to explore there is alot of reading and they offer many books on the history of Slavery that are must reads.
This museum offers a profound and sobering exploration of America's history of slavery. On my way out, I’ve picked up an excellent book(Complicity: How the North Promoted, Prolonged, and Profited from Slavery) that reveals extensive involvement of northern states in this grim history. The banks, insurance agencies, and cotton mills in the North were complicit in the exploitation of enslaved individuals. While the experience at The Old Slave Mart Museum can be heavy and challenging, it is crucial for fostering a more comprehensive understanding of American history. The exhibits significantly deepened my understanding of ongoing impact of slavery on contemporary society and how institutions beyond the southern plantations were integral to the mechanics of slavery.