Subject: African American history

This document contains a report from The Committee on the Judiciary and a proposed bill to amend the law related to trading with slaves in South Carolina. Authored by Franklin J. Moses as Chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary, the report details the rationale for stronger penalties against illegal slave trading and liquor sales to enslaved persons. The proposed amendment to the bill specifies increased fines, imprisonment, and physical punishment (whipping) for repeat offenders, explicitly excluding white females from corporal punishment. The document is a printed form, showing signs of age with some staining and torn edges, characteristic of historical legislative papers from the mid-19th century. The amendment was successfully passed on December 21, 1857. The description also notes the historical significance of this specific amendment, its absence in prominent historical texts on the slave trade, and the involvement of Franklin J. Moses Sr., a notable figure in South Carolina's history. **3.

A single-page letter written by Moses Myer in Norfolk, Virginia, to Robert Patton in Fredericksburg, Virginia, on January 3, 1799. Myer recommends a captain and his ship to Patton. The letter highlights Myer's prominent status as one of the wealthiest men of his time in Norfolk.

This albumen print, titled "No. 41.--One piece--Henry's Battery," captures an artillery battery during the American Civil War. The photograph depicts soldiers, including African American artillerists, gathered around a cannon with horses nearby, set against a sandy, outdoor landscape. The scene features commanding officer Captain Guy Henry seated on horseback. The image is mounted on cardstock, with the photographers' imprint and title printed on the recto. A decorative corner border is visible on the mount. The photograph is part of a series taken in South Carolina in 1863, documenting General Quincy Gillmore's army and siege operations.