The “Vendue” System Allowed Poor People to be Auctioned Off
For a time, there was a system in place called “vendue” where poor people could be auctioned off like property. One example was documented in Massachusetts in 1786. A woman named Mary Degresha could not financially take care of herself. She was auctioned off to the lowest bidder, who promised to take a payment of 6 dollars per week from the town poor relief in exchange for taking care of her food and shelter. These “vendue” agreements also guaranteed that the winner of the auction would receive at least one year of free labor. Tragically, single women who were poor and auctioned off by vendue were often taken away from their children, who were essentially sold out to apprenticeships.