Compensating enslavers required hiring slave dealers as valuation experts

Evidence

Figuring out how much enslavers should be paid was no easy task. To determine the valuation of each enslaved person, the commissioners needed to consult someone knowledgeable in the slave trade. They hired Bernard M. Campbell, a Baltimore slave dealer, one of the very men who was put out of business by the legislation. Complicating matters was the fact that the Civil War had caused values to fluctuate widely. Plus, many enslavers like Margaret hired out their slaves, but calculating their value based on rental income would have taken too long to verify and slowed down the process. Dealing with complexity was a critical part of the process and required establishing rules on how to split compensation if two parties petitioned claims on the same enslaved person. The commission devised and implemented detailed protocols that would enable a resolution in a timely manner. The perfect was not allowed to become the enemy of the speedy implementation of the act. — Dorothy A. Brown, Getting to Reparations, 75

Categorization

• QUESTION: The enslaved people who were sold and freed had no say in valuation or compensation; worth chasing whether any enslaved person petitioned or contested.