Slave Auctions in the Internal Slave Trade

In America, slave auctions were used until the end of the Atlantic slave trade. Slave traders would catch or purchase slaves in Africa, and would then go up against them on slave ships over the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. When a slave ship arrived at a port, the slaves would be taken to a pen. There, they would be washed. Their skin would be secured in oil, animal fat, or even tar. This would make their skin look shinier and healthier, so they would be worth more cash. Tar and oil were likewise used to cover injuries on the slaves' bodies.
The slaves were not treated respectfully. They were called and thought of as "cargo". Men were also called "bucks" and women were called "does" or "wenches". They were branded with a letter or symbol that would be into their skin to mark them as slaves. Slave traders and buyers would examine them, forcing open their mouths and checking their hair and bodies. Usually, the largest, strongest looking slaves were bought first because they were thought to be able to do more work. Many women were sold away from their children and husbands, to buyers looking for good cooks and housekeepers.
There were two types of auctions: ‘Grab and go’ and ‘May the highest bidder win’.
In a "grab and go" auction, a buyer would give the slave trader a certain amount of money and would get a ticket. When a drum roll sounded, the pen holding the slaves would open. The buyer would rush in and grab the slave or slaves that he wanted. He would then show his ticket to the slave trader before he left.
In a "may the highest bidder win" auction, slaves would be shown to the buyers’ one at a time. If more than one buyer wanted a particular slave, all of the buyers would have to bid on the. The buyer who bid the highest would be able to buy that slave for the amount of money he bid.
There was also the "scramble" in which the buyers would hurriedly grab which ever slave they would want and take them to work.
Sometimes other things such as tea, coffee and...