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Slave-Era Insurance Policies

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Slave-era insurance policies were financial instruments created in the 18th and 19th centuries to insure enslaved individuals. These policies treated people as property, compensating slaveholders for financial “losses” in cases of death, injury, or escape. Today, they provide essential insight into the financial underpinnings of slavery, genealogy, and modern reparations debates.

These policies illustrate how slavery was not only a social and political system but also a highly structured financial enterprise. By placing monetary value on human lives, insurance companies, banks, and courts reinforced the commodification of enslaved people and ensured that slavery remained deeply entwined with the nation’s economic growth. The surviving records of these policies now serve as both historical evidence of exploitation and as valuable resources for genealogists tracing family histories and communities seeking acknowledgment, justice, and repair.

State Registries & Locations

The states highlighted on this map represent locations where records of slave-era insurance policies have been identified. In some, such as California and Illinois, legislation required insurance companies to disclose policies connected to slavery. In others — including Virginia, Kentucky, Louisiana, and South Carolina — archival records reveal contracts held by banks and insurers covering enslaved workers in industries like agriculture, railroads, and shipping. Together, these state-level records demonstrate how widespread the practice was and how deeply embedded it became in both northern and southern financial systems.

Key Companies & Institutions Involved

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Several major U.S. insurance companies participated in insuring enslaved people:

Historic slave insurance policy issued by American Life Insurance and Trust Company, insuring enslaved man George, financial history of slavery, Philadelphia 1858, Black genealogy resources.

Overview of Slave-Era Insurance Policies

Slave-era insurance policies reveal not only how enslaved people were commodified but also how deeply slavery was embedded in U.S. law, finance, and corporate systems. Below is a structured overview, with hyperlinks to explore details:

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