Essay on Slave Ads
Jazmin Wells
1/22/2014
Slave Runaway Ads
Based on the advertises for the return of runaway slaves, I can see that the slaves were viewed as property. They advertised for them as if they had lost a pet or something of that nature. They had rewards for anyone who would return them just as we would for a missing pet. I feel like in the eyes of the owner they had no rights and could be of equal or less value as a pet. Slaves were viewed as belongings more than as humans.
I saw in one advertisement a reward for the beheading of a missing slave. I thought that alone proved how much slave owners viewed their slaves. Being willing to give someone cash for the return of a head of another human proves how much you don’t care for that person. In fact, it shows how heartless they can be towards them. With slave owners viewing slaves as property you would think they wouldn’t know anything about them, but these owners knew quite a bit about their “property”. They knew the height, build, skin color, and certain marks on the missing persons. They also knew certain things that the slaves had took with them and the possible location of the slaves. Then again if you claim something as your property you would know everything about it, so that’s understandable.
Then they would have a certain rewards for bringing the slave back to their rightful owner. I noticed one of the rewards was 6d or 6 pence; this is worth about 3.86 current dollars. I’m not sure if that was considered a lot back then but today one could consider that to be practically worthless in today’s time. So to wrap everything into one, the attitude towards slaves were both harsh and heartless. They were viewed, as well as treated, as property and no more than that.
1/22/2014
Slave Runaway Ads
Based on the advertises for the return of runaway slaves, I can see that the slaves were viewed as property. They advertised for them as if they had lost a pet or something of that nature. They had rewards for anyone who would return them just as we would for a missing pet. I feel like in the eyes of the owner they had no rights and could be of equal or less value as a pet. Slaves were viewed as belongings more than as humans.
I saw in one advertisement a reward for the beheading of a missing slave. I thought that alone proved how much slave owners viewed their slaves. Being willing to give someone cash for the return of a head of another human proves how much you don’t care for that person. In fact, it shows how heartless they can be towards them. With slave owners viewing slaves as property you would think they wouldn’t know anything about them, but these owners knew quite a bit about their “property”. They knew the height, build, skin color, and certain marks on the missing persons. They also knew certain things that the slaves had took with them and the possible location of the slaves. Then again if you claim something as your property you would know everything about it, so that’s understandable.
Then they would have a certain rewards for bringing the slave back to their rightful owner. I noticed one of the rewards was 6d or 6 pence; this is worth about 3.86 current dollars. I’m not sure if that was considered a lot back then but today one could consider that to be practically worthless in today’s time. So to wrap everything into one, the attitude towards slaves were both harsh and heartless. They were viewed, as well as treated, as property and no more than that.