Norfolk, Virginia: Fifth Largest Port on the Maritime Underground Railroad

Virginia was one of the largest slave-holding states, with its port city of Norfolk being the fifth largest hub in the slave trade. In the 1830 federal census, Norfolk’s Black and white population was almost half and half. Many free and enslaved Blacks worked in the maritime industry. This made Norfolk a major port on the Maritime Underground Railroad. Many smaller Black churches and neighborhoods existed to help plan and execute fugitive escapes. Workers knew which ships’ captains would transport fugitives, or would do so for a fee. Shipping schedules sometimes required finding hiding places near the docks for fugitives awaiting passage. Black maritime workers who worked for hire did not face close supervision. This made it easier for them to help fugitives escape.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the U.S. “hiring out” system allowed enslavers to generate income from individuals they couldn’t put to work. The enslaver signed a contract with the temporary hirer beginning on January 1 and running through to Christmas. January 1, called both “Hiring Day” and “Heartbreak Day”, depended on whether owners leased or sold the enslaved. Work-for-hire allowed someone owning a few enslaved people to generate reliable cash. It also allowed slavery to be used in urban and industrial sectors rather than just on plantations. Some skilled enslaved people could “self-hire.” They found their own work, negotiated their own wages, and then paid a fixed fee to their enslaver. This allowed some freedom, but they remained chattel property.

As immigrants poured in, and the free and Black population did not grow, immigrants became a threat to Blacks in the maritime and trade industries.