Runaway Slaves and the Slave Communities in South Carolina, 1799 to 1830

Abstract

R 5 UNAWAY slaves pose an important problem for interpretations of the character of slave communities in the United States. Although slaves ran away for many different reasons, all runaways engaged in a dramatic form of resistance: they deprived their masters of control over their labor, at least for a time. The typical runaway was a young man who absconded alone.' Slaves often gave runaways moral and material support, but most slave women and older men were restrained from running away alone by their familial obligations and community bonds.2 However, the same community ties that had to be severed to run away alone could and did strengthen slaves of both sexes and a wide range of ages to run away together, in groups. These groups exemplified the bonds of affection, loyalty, and trust that knit the larger slave community and gave collective expression to the spirit of resistance. This article analyzes advertisements for groups of runaway slaves that appeared in the Charleston, South Carolina, newspapers from I799 to