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| Runaway Slaves: From the Revolution to the New Republic |
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Author: Carol Thornton, Tracey's Elementary School, Anne Arundel County Public Schools
Grade Level: Upper Elementary
Duration: 1-2 Sessions |
Overview:
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At the beginning of the American Revolution, slavery was prevalent in the colonies. In the South, where the slave population sometimes outnumbered their free counterparts, slaves worked the fields growing a variety of crops including tobacco, rice and sugar cane. Further north, slaves worked as part of the skilled and unskilled labor force in factories and industry. Slaves that lived in the middle Chesapeake region made up about one-third of the population while they worked in the tobacco-based economy.
With the outbreak of the American Revolution, many slaves took advantage of the unprecedented opportunity to escape their bondage. Slave owners were preoccupied with preserving their way of life and preparing for the war. In 1775, the royal governor of Virginia promised freedom to slaves who came to fight for the king, adding to the number of slaves that decided to risk fleeing their masters. Other escapees attempted to live off the land or fight the political system for their freedom.
Evidence of this massive increase in the number of runaway slaves can be found in the high number of slave advertisements that were published in local newspapers. Keeping in mind that these advertisements were written by slave owners, they provide a window into the jarring realities of slavery. In this lesson students will examine and interpret advertisements from The Maryland Gazette to gain insight into the characteristics and probable values of runaway slaves during the American Revolution.
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