Advertisement Offering a Slave for Sale
New York Weekly-Journal April 15, 1734
New-York Historical Society

Advertisements for the sale of slaves offer historians a wealth of information about the physical appearance and skills of individuals. They also shed light on the survival of Africanisms in dress and body adornment and proficiencies in occupations and language(s).

The woman who is described in this advertisement could only speak English. Thus she could not communicate easily with those New Yorkers, both white and black, whose primary language was Dutch.