Articles of Agreement between Nathan Thomas Agent of J.S. Wilson and the Undersigned Labourers Employed by Him ...

£4,750 · Offered by Maggs Bros Ltd

While the end of the Civil War brought about the abolition of slavery in the United States, the profitability of cotton and sugar crops remained vital contributors to the post-war economy . Just as the plantations which cultivated these remained a haunting symbol of the horrors of slavery, so too these Articles of Agreement … provide a valuable witness to labour market conditions in the Reconstruction era and an echo of enslaved labour practices. This labour contract is signed by four freedmen - Jacob Moore, Harry Young, John Gill and Solomon Young - (with “X”s) and Nathan Thomas, on behalf of John Simonton Wilson (1820-1902), plantation owner and secessionist, who served in the 1st South Carolina Cavalry in the Civil War. Far from General Sherman’s promise of “forty acres and a mule” and the implied independence they would bring, the men here pledged “to conduct ourselves faithfully, honestly, civilly and diligently; to abide by all the rules made by said J.S. Wilson with the said agent for the government of the plantation.” Furthermore, they would have “visitors not entertain stragglers from that other plantation, nor leave the premises without the permission of said agent and his employer during work hours.” They would “take care of all tools … and pay for the same out of our share of the crop if injured, lost or destroyed.” Similarly, they would be fined (by reduction in crop share or forfeiture) for “wilful disobedience,” “want of politeness” or “prolonged absence from t

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