‘The Slaves Dread New Year’s Day the Worst’: The Grim History of January 1' In African-American history, New Year’s Day was once feared as “Hiring Day” or “Heartbreak Day,” a time when enslaved people anxiously awaited decisions that could tear their families apart. On January 1, enslaved men, women, and children were often rented out, auctioned, or transferred under new contracts, a common and profitable practice in the antebellum South that helped white slave owners settle debts. As historian