Slavery in Savannah

By Lauri Lyons.

Change Confederate Name of African Burial Grounds in Savannah Georgia (sign here).

 

 

Savannah is the oldest city in Georgia and is known for its coastal beauty and historical architecture. The city was able to thrive and become one of the wealthiest cities in America, because of its rice plantations, cotton plantations, and access to Northern and foreign markets across the Atlantic. All of the labor used to work on the plantations and to build the city’s infrastructure was made by enslaved Africans directly imported from West Africa. Additional slave labor included African-Americans who were owned by the municipality or “hired out” (rented) to the city by their Master, and “free” people of color, that were required by law to work for the city one day a week for free.