Seven Chldren-3: Slavery reduced people to property regardless of blood ties, genetic connections in a world ruled by skin colour
But workers nearing 50 depreciated like equipment wearing out, their value declining steadily toward whatever they might fetch in a final sale. Samuel understood this calculus with perfect clarity. He had watched it play out with other ageing field workers whose treatment shifted as their usefulness declined. Yet Samuel occupied a peculiar position that complicated these typical patterns.
