The documents on this page are typical of advertisements offering slaves for sale in Connecticut colony. One ad, "A Likely Negro Boy 11 Years Old," is noteworthy for the name of the seller: Benedict Arnold of Norwich. The elder Benedict Arnold was a ship captain, surveyor and town assemblyman. His son Benedict, who took control of his father's affairs in Norwich around 1760, was a druggist and merchant with some involvement in West Indian trade. He later gained fame as an American Revolutionary War major general, but was subsequently branded a traitor for colluding with the British.

All images on this page are from America's Historical Newspapers, an Archive of Americana collection, published by Readex, a division of NewsBank, in cooperation with the American Antiquarian Society.

Looking to Buy Negro Man 18-19
The New-London Summary or The Weekly Advertiser
July 11, 1760

A Likely Negro Boy 11 Years Old
The New-London Summary or The Weekly Advertiser
August 8, 1760

To Be Sold, for No Fault but Being Saucy
The New-London Summary or The Weekly Advertiser
July 17, 1761

Negro Lad to Be Sold
Connecticut Journal and New Haven Post Boy
November 22, 1771