Leg Shackles, 1840-1880

01

Artifact Overview

The wealth and power of Southern plantation owners depended upon a large labor force of enslaved people. They justified their actions by considering enslaved people to be mere pieces of property. These shackles, from a Georgia plantation, attest to the brutal treatment of enslaved African Americans.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Shackles

Date Made

1840-1880

Location

at Henry Ford Museum in With Liberty & Justice for All

Object ID

2005.34.1

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Iron (Metal)

Dimensions

Length: 31 in

02

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