Calico Slave May 2026

: Certain South Carolina slave codes explicitly banned enslaved people from wearing high-value apparel, but permitted cheaper textiles including "blue linen, check linen... or calicoes".

In the context of American history, —a plain-woven cotton fabric with colorful printed patterns—was often used for the clothing of enslaved people, particularly those working in domestic roles. While field hands typically wore coarser fabrics like "negro cloth," osnaburg, or linsey-woolsey, domestic laborers were sometimes provided with calico garments as they were more visible to the enslaver's family and guests. Key Aspects of Calico and Enslavement

: While largely associated with the pirate John Rackham, the name was also used by an enslaved man who escaped his master in 1694 to join a ship bound for Madagascar.

: Some enslavers used small amounts of calico as a form of "encouragement"; for example, one 1835 record describes a merchant being asked for "cheap calico" to be given to women after childbirth.