Throughout the 1730s and 40s, the Virginia Society newspaper would print advertisements for owners regarding runaway slaves and servants. Within the ads the reader can see that there is a societal hierarchy, as said in Of the People there were “Specific laws that improved the conditions of whites, often at the same time limiting the freedom of blacks” (Oakes, Of the People p. 100). The ads showing the reader the authority and power the owners had over their laborers, that despite their efforts to run away they had the ability to search for them because they were their property.Although indentured servants and slaves were treated atrociously, there were differences between two systems of labor; sexism and racism being key elements that were …show more content…
This could make one think that perhaps John Peters did not run away because of the harsh conditions. Due to Fogleman stating that laborers enjoyed living and working conditions, Peters may have run away to find his family that he dearly missed, explaining the tattoos on his chest. Reading the ad, one does not get the impression that his owner was mean to him. The paper stating, “He is mark'd on the middle of his Breast, with the Picture of a Woman and several Children before her” (Virginia Gazette ad, November 4, 1737 -- runaway servant John Peters), an unpeculiar detail to point out. Unlike the other articles which hatefully describe their laborers, in Sinclair’s ad he chooses to focus on details that seem to somewhat describe the servant’s personality instead of focusing on his appearance or the objects he chose to run away with. He was described in a nice manner with a plain tone, no harsh language was used especially to describe the color of his skin. It seems the owner simply wanted Peters to return because he was under contract to work for him. The language used in the ad made it so that Peters was a good man, very religious and family orientated due to his tattoos. He was an older guy that wished to be with his family