The Slave Auction Block in
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an Independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 27,982. It is south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond, Virginia, R ...
is a large stone that was used as an
auction block in
slave auction
A slave market is a place where slaves are bought and sold. These markets are a key phenomenon in the history of slavery.
Asia
Central Asia
Since antiquity, cities along the Silk Road, Silk road of Central Asia, had been centers of slav ...
s. It was located on the corner of William Street and Charles Street, and is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
as part of the
Fredericksburg Historic District.
After almost a century of debate as to whether or not it should be removed as a symbol of racial oppression, it was voted by City Council to be removed on June 11, 2019, one year before the protests triggered by the
murder of George Floyd
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black American man, was murdered in Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old White police officer. Floyd had been arrested after a store clerk reported that he made a purchase using a c ...
. The city council had been planning the block's removal since 2017, with a court victory by the council in February 2020 having cleared the last remaining legal obstacles to moving it. The auction block was removed from its site on June 5, 2020, and is displayed at the
Fredericksburg Area Museum.
See also
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Slave markets and slave jails in the United States
Slave markets and slave jails in the United States were places used for the slave trade in the United States from the founding in 1776 until the total abolition of slavery in 1865. ''Slave pens'', also known as slave jails, were used to temporar ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slave Auction Block, Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Historic district contributing properties in Virginia
National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
History of auctions
Monuments and memorials in Virginia removed during the George Floyd protests
History of slavery in Virginia
Slave markets in the United States
Relocated buildings and structures in Virginia