Free Rearing Wolves to Our Own Destruction: Slavery in Richmond Virginia, 1782–1865 by Midori Takagi Page B

sue. Furthermore, according to the political and racial ideology that supported slavery, slaves were powerless, mentally less capable than, and subservient to, every free person. Richmond slave residents, however, like slaves elsewhere, acted in ways that belied such ideas and continually fought attempts at full control or domination. Most of the methods and weapons in this struggle were borrowed from the plantation setting, where disgruntled slaves had long practiced techniques such as feigning sickness, breaking tools, or escaping. But over time, urban slave workers discovered a few new tactics made possible by their new environment.
Slave workers soon discovered that city working and living conditions often left them "unattended to." Frequently there were periods of the day and night when no authority appeared to govern their actions. Naturally the opportunities to evade one's owner depended on a slave's occupation and position; but they existed for nearly every slave, from the female domestic who slipped away from the owner's house late at night, to the slave drayman who stopped to chat or share a brandy while making deliveries. Constant, strict control was not possible. The city of-

 

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fered an increasing number of places a slave worker could blend in and hide, such as a corner shop, a crowded marketplace, or even a busy intersection. In 1800 when there were about 2,000 slaves it might have been more difficult to go unnoticed. But by 1840 when there were more than 7,000 slave residents and 20,000 Richmonders altogether, a slave could hide temporarily with little effort. Monitoring slaves' activities would have required constant supervision, something few owners were willing to provide.
Given these circumstances, then, it is not surprising that slave workers took to "losing time," that is, they simply walked away from their jobs when no one was watching. One hired slave laborer, Carter, made it a frequent habit to "lose time" when running errands. 36 Isham similarly took advantage of the working hours he spent alone to hide from his employers, but for almost two weeks. 37 Some slaves seized the opportunity to ''lose time" permanently. Lewis, a slave worker from Goochland County, ran away during the year he was hired to the Washington Tavern in Richmond. Ned Robinson, also a slave, waited until he was lodged in the city far from his owner before running away. 38 And these men were not the only ones to take advantage of their time as hired slaves to escape; Richmond newspapers throughout the antebellum years were filled with advertisements offering rewards for the capture of slaves who had run away from local businesses.
Owners were not oblivious to the effects of the city and devised a number of ways to thwart such ploys and to prevent runaways. Philip Nelson sent instructions to each new employer of his slave Carter, advising them to watch him constantly. Other owners sought employers who were known to monitor slave workers closely. Edmund Taylor, who was concerned about his slave William Giles, requested that Giles be hired to "a stranger; the stricter the manager the better. " It appears Taylor believed that a stranger, rather than a friend, would be tough and uncompromising when dealing with Giles. Some owners went so far as to appoint acting masters whom they considered to be more conscientious than employers. Samuel Bailey of Hanover County, for example, allowed his slave Peter White to work in the city under the condition that Jesse Franklin of Richmond "act as master" during his stay. Sarah Clayton made similar arrangements for her slave, Nancy Read, when Read went to the city. Clayton asked David Hardy to "stand as master for her" while "she is at work in part of your house." Billy, a slave belonging to George Major of Charles City County, was similarly supervised while working in Richmond by Cornelius Crew, an old friend of Major's. 39
Many other slave owners, however, recognized that no acting master or