About the Collection

A collection of three slave passes from the mid-1800s. The passes were found in a Book of Common Prayer that was donated to the College of Charleston in 1875 by Daniel Horlbeck. They were discovered in the book in 1934. They are examples of how urban slavery operated in Charleston, South Carolina, with slaveholders writing passes for enslaved people who were, depending on the circumstances, permitted or required to stay in a different location in the city for days, weeks, or months at a time. Slaveholders permitted enslaved people’s movement for different reasons, including being “hired out” by another person in Charleston.

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