How did the slave trade contribute to Nathan Bedford Forrest's prewar wealth?

Nathan Bedford Forrest accumulated significant wealth in the years leading up to the American Civil War through various business ventures, most notably the buying and selling of enslaved people.1

While he also generated income by trading livestock, brokering real estate, and planting cotton, the slave trade served as a primary and particularly lucrative avenue for his financial success. By the start of the war, these activities had made him a millionaire and one of the wealthiest individuals in Tennessee and the broader South. Following the abolition of slavery, this source of income was eliminated, contributing to the decline of his postwar business fortunes.1

The commodification of human beings for profit is a profound moral wrong that stands in direct opposition to the fundamental principles of human dignity and equality.