Modern day descendants have been piecing together their own history and reclaiming their fragmented past. As the last family stepped down from the block, the rain ceased, for the first time in four days the clouds broke away, and the soft. In 1859, at the largest recorded slave auction in american history. This book is one of the first to analyze the operation of this auction and trace the lives of slaves before, during, and after their sale. The weeping time chronicles the sale of 436 people in 1859, the largest documented slave auction in this country. Baileys book fittingly ends with a final chapter that follows the difficult journey of descendants seeking to restore the breach and coming to terms with identifying family members sold on the auction block.
Buy a cheap copy of the weeping time book by jason skog. Beyond the silence and the shame beacon press and her current work, the weeping time. Using the auction as the focal point, the weeping time is a compelling and nuanced narrative of one of the most pivotal eras in american history, and how its legacy persists today. The sale would thereafter be known as the weeping time. It is not suitable for young audiences or those with a sensitive constitution. It was said that the heavens were weeping for the inhumanity that was being committed. A prophets life is never easy, but jeremiah had an especially rough time. Aug 22, 2019 the books title paid homage to the heartbreaking term slaves used to describe the separation from their loved ones during sales or auctions. Aug 19, 2016 this is the reveal to the mysterious package company weeping book gift.
Press, the first book to chronicle the story of the auction, the events leading up to it, and its aftermath. And its the cheapest, i highly recommend partaking in the curios and conundrums, they are alot of fun, then once you hear the inner circle kits are avaliable i recommend looking into one of those but instead of mysteries and puzzles its more of a box of artifacts and goodies. Slaveholder and absentee plantation owner pierce mease butler authorized the sale of approximately 436 men, women, children, and infants to be sold over the course of two days. This book describes the auction of the slaves of pierce mease butler on march 2 and 3, 1859, the selling of 436 slaves to pay butlers debts that was called the weeping time, the largest sale of human beings in.
Slave auction in american history adds to the historiography of the domestic. The earth is weeping is a sweeping, definitive history of the battles and negotiations that destroyed the indian way of life even as they paved the way for the emergence of the united states we know today. Cambridge core american studies the weeping time by anne c. The book is almost exclusively descriptive rather than analytical. Memory and the largest slave auction in american history, just published, cambridge university press, 2017 reflect that commitment. Known as the weeping prophet, jeremiah was a prophet to the southern kingdom of judah in the old testament, right before judah ultimately fell to babylon and was led away into captivity. Final reveal, the weeping book, mysterious package company. The weeping time destroyed families, but former slaves reconnected them in a year when a candidate for senate looked back fondly at the era of slavery in the united states because families were. Memory and the largest slave auction in american history chronicles the sale of 436 men, women and children from the butler plantation of georgias sea islands in 1859. The weeping book is a story of possession, darkness, and murder. But, this work is not just the saga of a single family. Memory and the largest slave auction in american history by anne c.
It was a period when the largest sale of africanamericans were auctioned off at a racetrack in savannah, georgia. Dec 20, 2017 the weeping time destroyed families, but former slaves reconnected them the weeping time chronicles the sale of 436 people in 1859, the largest documented slave auction in this country. The weeping time by jason maurice skog, hardcover barnes. Annes book drawing on victims accounts and descendants memories, the weeping time uses the largest slave auction in u. For two days in march 1859, rain fell like tears on the racetrack in savannah, georgia, where hundreds of slaves had been brought for auction. Book overview in 1859, at the largest recorded slave auction in american history, over 400 men, women, and children were sold by the butler plantation estates. The owner of the slaves, pierce butler, had inherited the familys georgia plantations some twenty. Philander doesticks mortimer thomson attended an auction of 436 men, women, and children formerly held by pierce m. Savannah pays tribute to the weeping time at 160th. The great slave auction also called the weeping time was a march 2 and 3, 1859 sale of enslaved africans held at ten broeck race course, near savannah, georgia. Bailey, a writer, historian, and a tenured professor of history and africana studies at binghamton university, state university of new york. Remarkably, bailey has been able to trace the historical record of 50 people from 10 families sold during the butler auction. The weeping time acquired its name colloquially, by the slaves and their descendants, because of reports that the sky opened up and poured down rain for the full two days of the auction.
Over the course of the sale, friends were separated and families torn apart, scattered among various new owners in the southern united states. Weeping time by a georgia geechee by griffin lotson. This book is one of the first to analyze the operation of this auction and trace the lives of slaves. Dec 21, 2017 using the auction as the focal point, the weeping time is a compelling and nuanced narrative of one of the most pivotal eras in american history, and how its legacy persists today. What became of the slaves on a georgia plantation pbs. By the time the auctioneers gavel fell silent, she explains, 436 enslaved persons belonging to a single owner, pierce mease butler, had been sold to bidders from across the south and beyond. It is a story of weeping but it is also a story of resilience. The weeping time anne c bailey in 1859, at the largest recorded slave auction in american history, over 400 men, women, and children were sold by the butler plantation estates. Memory and the largest slave auction in american history is a story of fragments fragments of history and.
Memory and the largest slave auction in american history, cambridge university press, 2017 opens with the story of an engaged couple separated from each other on the auction block. A smithsonian top history book of 2016 a times uk book of the year. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the weeping time. The largest slave auction march 3, 1859 in spite of having inherited two plantations, pierce m. Memory and the largest slave auction in american history. The weeping time anne c bailey bok 9781107193055 bokus. Mar 02, 2019 this year marks the 160th anniversary of one of savannahs darkest moments. The weeping time is about the largest slave auction in american history, but it is also a remarkably vivid story of individual lives forever transformed when people are treated as property.
A strange artifact used in conjunction with the journal. Her nonfiction book, african voices of the atlantic slave trade. Bailey, coming out at the end of this month from cambridge university press. The book is a detailed study of the largest slave auction which is recorded in us history. From time to time, i will share excerpts on this bl. The reason why this particular sale was noted as being the weeping time is because during the twoday auction, it rained continuously. The 1859 sale was the climax of the 150year american tradition of buying and selling people at. Weeping time anne c bailey in 1859, at the largest recorded slave auction in american history, over 400 men, women, and children were sold by the butler plantation estates. Memory and the largest slave auction in american history cambridge univ. Clayborne carson, stanford university, california a meticulously. Memory and the largest slave auction in american history, is now available for advance purchase on amazon. The book s title paid homage to the heartbreaking term slaves used to describe the separation from their loved ones during sales or auctions.
Butlers slaves were auctioned in order to pay debts incurred in gambling and the financial crash of 185758. The story of the largest slave auction in american history. In the weeping time, bailey writes about jeffrey and dorcas, an enslaved couple who fell in love. Over two days, butler auctioned off the human portion of his property to help pay off his debts. In 1859, at the largest recorded slave auction in american history, over 400 men, women, and children were sold by the butler plantation estates. The weeping time is a potent reminder of individual lives dissolved and forever stained by slavery. In 1859, one of the largest slave sales in us history took place at the ten broeck race course, now an obscured landscape, on the outskirts of savannah, georgia. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Baileys 2017 work the weeping time, is also about the auction. The weeping time destroyed families, but former slaves. The weeping time by anne bailey is a wellresearched and beautifully written tribute to enslaved blacks on the butler plantation and their descendants. We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites.
After 10 long years, it will see the light of day this fall. This book is one of the first to analyze the operation of this auction and trace. In 1859, these men, women and children were sold, and a new chapter of their families stories began. Emptied of tears in the weeping time, bailey writes about jeffrey and dorcas, an enslaved couple who fell in love. This historic book is an appropriate true story about th. Bailey tells the story of a slave auction that took place in savannah, georgia, in 1859, after pierce mease butler ran out of money and decided to sell men, women, and children to pay off his debts. Focusing on the people of the community, especially the children, lovett photographs with honesty and a deep empathy for his subjects. Emma is the property of pierce butler and has taken care of his daughters, sarah and frances, since.
The owner of the slaves, pierce butler, had inherited the familys georgia plantations some twenty years earlier, along with his brother john. This book describes the auction of the slaves of pierce mease butler on march 2 and 3, 1859, the selling of 436 slaves to pay butlers debts that was called the weeping time, the largest sale of human beings in u. Rufus lovett presents an eloquent photo essay on weeping mary, created in the tradition of such master photographers as henri cartierbresson, walker evans, and helen levitt. Oct 12, 2019 it was the nations largest auction of enslaved people. On march 2 and 3, 1859, pierce mease butler of the butler plantation estates in the georgia sea islands sold 436 men, women, and children, including 30 babies, to buyers and speculators. Immediately upon emancipation in 1863, some of these newly freed slaves set out on foot flocking to plantations all over the south searching earnestly for their loved ones. Contrast that with the towering monument to the confederate dead that has stood for over a century smack in the. History, memory and the largest slave auction in the united states, forthcoming cambridge university press, fall.
The weeping time, observed every year from march 23, marks the anniversary of the sale of 429 people in 1859 in. The auction, which happened on the threshold of the civil war, allows bailey to tell. The reason why this particular sale was noted as being the weeping time is because during the twoday auction, it. It is peculiarly reminiscent of the kind of anecdotal social history pioneered by arthur m. Baileys engrossing saga reminds us that the auction block was a crucial shared experience that shaped the consciousness of millions of african americans. Memory and the largest slave auction in american history was recently published by cambridge university press. Jeremy cross father time and the weeping virgin statue. All about jeremiah in the bible the weeping prophet. Introducing my new book, the weeping time baileyblog. It is for this reason the slaves called this auction, the weeping time. In all, 436 slaves were sold, making it the largest sale of human beings in the history of the united states and event worthy of the name the weeping time. The owner of the slaves, pierce butler, had inherited the familys georgia plantations some twenty years earlier, along with his brother.
The sculpture consists of a weeping virgin, holding in one hand a sprig of acacia and in the other an urn. The books title paid homage to the heartbreaking term slaves used to describe the separation from their loved ones during sales or auctions. Hope, resilience and the weeping time fifteeneightyfour. Memory and the largest slave auction in american history kindle edition by bailey, anne c download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Weeping time author discusses slave auctions daytona times.