Abolition

Title: Handcuffs Worn by Slaves
Type: Object
Date: early 1800s
Source: Minnesota Historical Society

Description: These handcuffs are the kind worn by slaves during the early 1800s.

Activities:

1. What can these handcuffs tell you about the life of slaves in America?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: They were restricted in their movement and forced to wear chains and shackles so they wouldn't escape from slavery.
2. What in this picture tells you that these were handcuffs and not shackles for a slave's feet?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The chain connecting the two rings is too short. Slaves would not have been able to walk if these had been on their ankles.
3. What other people in American society might have worn handcuffs like these?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: Criminals were all forced to wear handcuffs when they were caught.
4. Beside keeping slaves from running away, how might shackles affect how a slave felt?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: They probably made the slaves feel defeated and lowly. Shackles also probably made slaves feel like their situation was hopeless, which may have kept them from trying to run away.