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Determinants of Slave Prices: Louisiana, 1725 to 1820

Author

Listed:
  • Ashley N. Coleman

    (Wachovia Bank, Charlotte, NC)

  • William K. Hutchinson

    (Department of Economics, Vanderbilt University)

Abstract

We utilize a previously untapped data source, Gwendolyn Hall (1999), to examine the market for slaves in Louisiana, both in New Orleans and outside of New Orleans. We are able to study the process of price determination in two separate markets over a period of 95 years for the former and 64 years for the latter. While our findings indicate that both markets valued slave characteristics in a manner that one would expect, we also analyze why particular attributes were valued differently in these two markets. Two shocks to these markets occur in 1808: the Jefferson embargo (December, 1807) and the prohibition of slave imports (January 1, 1808). We analyze how these two shocks differentially affect the value of slave characteristics in these two markets. We find that after the embargo is lifted in 1814, differences in the valuation of slave characteristics between the two regions are greatly diminished.

Suggested Citation

  • Ashley N. Coleman & William K. Hutchinson, 2006. "Determinants of Slave Prices: Louisiana, 1725 to 1820," Vanderbilt University Department of Economics Working Papers 0624, Vanderbilt University Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:van:wpaper:0624
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Leamer, Edward E. & Levinsohn, James, 1995. "International trade theory: The evidence," Handbook of International Economics, in: G. M. Grossman & K. Rogoff (ed.), Handbook of International Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 26, pages 1339-1394, Elsevier.
    2. Ashley N. Coleman & William K. Hutchinson, 2005. "Trade Restrictions and Factor Prices: Slave Prices in Early Nineteenth Century US," Vanderbilt University Department of Economics Working Papers 0521, Vanderbilt University Department of Economics.
    3. Douglas A. Irwin, 2001. "The Welfare Cost of Autarky: Evidence from the Jeffersonian Trade Embargo, 1807-1809," NBER Working Papers 8692, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Dari-Mattiacci Giuseppe & de Oliveira Guilherme, 2021. "Slavery versus Labor," Review of Law & Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 17(3), pages 495-568, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Slavery; factor prices; market integration;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N31 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913
    • N91 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913
    • F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions

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