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American Civil War ➔ Handcuffs
Identifier:
37469Description:
Set of iron handcuffs. Wrist rings hinged, lockable, and held together by swivel assembly.These handcuffs are currently displayed in the Newcomers exhibit to illustrate the J.C. Craig story. As the Civil War progressed, thousands of escaping enslaved people, like J.C. Craig, sought protection behind Union Army lines. At the start of the war there was no federal policy to deal with the escapees. Some commanders wanted to return them to their enslavers, while others put them to work for the Union. It was finally decided that once the fleeing enslaved people crossed Union Army lines, they were classified as property. All enemy property that fell into Union hands was considered "contraband of war" and therefore would not be returned to their enslavers.
Museum records indicate that this set of handcuffs was used in the slave trade on the Nile River.
