African Americans at work

Photograph depicting Individuals, mostly children, seated in chairs, on benches or steps, or on the ground — **No. 24: A Plantation Scene In South Carolina, ca. 1860.** IMAGE/S.T. Souder.

From enslaved workers in the 19th century to agricultural, industrial, and professional workers in the 20th and 21st centuries, African Americans have always been a vital part of the American workforce. The photographs from the collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture below document African Americans at work from the 1860s to today.

Before and During the Civil War

Few photographic images of early American workplaces exist. After all, photography was not invented (in France) until the 1820s, was not introduced in America until the 1840s, and did not become an affordable amateur hobby until the 1880s. Most photographs of African Americans at work before and during the Civil War depict enslaved or recently emancipated workers on farms or plantations slide 1 of 3

Photograph depicting very young children standing alongside adults in the cotton field — **Women and children in a cotton field, 1860s.** IMAGE/J.H. Aylsworth.

Photograph of two adult women and seven children — **Enslaved women and their children near Alexandria, Virginia, December 2, 1861, to March 10, 1862.** IMAGE/James E. Larkin.

Charleston Slave Hire Badges

From 1800 to 1865 in Charleston, North Carolina, slave hire badges were worn by enslaved individuals who were hired out by their enslavers to work for others. The enslaver paid an annual fee for the badge, providing revenue for the city of Charleston. Wages earned by the enslaved were often kept by the enslaver, but sometimes were shared with the enslaved. The badges served to identify those African Americans who were allowed to move about the city and to ensure that they only worked at jobs for which they were qualified, thus limiting competition with white workers. While some enslaved individuals learned skilled trades (“Mechanic”) useful to their enslavers in the plantation economy, a more common occupation was “House Servant.” These badges were public symbols of the hiring out system which allowed enslavers to allow their slaves a sense of autonomy, while maintaining control over them and profiting from their labor. slide 1 of 4

This is a square metal slave badge with clipped corners. On the recto is text that reads ”CHARLESTON [stamped]” across the top. Under that is “1816 [stamped] / MECHANIC [stamped] / No. [stamped] 39 [punched] .” — **Charleston slave badge from 1816 for Mechanic No. 39.**

A square copper slave badge with scalloped corners with die stamped text on the recto reading "CHARLESTON / 1811 PORTER / No." and engraved text "27". — **Charleston slave badge from 1811 for Porter No. 27.**

A square copper slave badge set on point with clipped corners with die stamped and engraved text on the recto reading "CHARLESTON / No. [engraved] 103 / [stamped] FISHER / 1812". — **Charleston slave badge from 1812 for Fisher No. 103.**

An octagonal copper slave badge engraved "No. 354 / HOUSE SERVANT / 1800" — **Charleston slave badge from 1800 for House Servant No. 354**.

Civil War Soldiers

During the Civil War, approximately 179,000 African American men served in the Union Army as U.S. Colored Troops and over 20,000 in the Union Navy. Although Black soldiers were involved in forty major battles and hundreds of skirmishes—and 16 were awarded the Medal of Honor—a disproportionate amount of Black soldiers were assigned work as laborers, digging ditches, building fortifications, and burying the dead.

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