Aspects of Slavery and Freedom Seeking in North Carolina Main Menu Creative Commons License Preface and Acknowledgements ArcOnline Maps and ArcStory Maps Additional Project Components Introduction Earth Wood Fire Water Wind Escaping Network to Freedom Underground Railroad Locations Maps and Additional Resources Resources Brian Robinson 351175f8b63e375b96b75c26edde5534c94e8162 Torren Gatson 9cd3f098d43ed240801c35d1d0fd0737b5602944 Rhonda Jones 4c7a2610c10c17f5b487bcebc8abbbf64c221aa6 Arwin Smallwood 329b2d587e93ceaac77a3b3e316b5ce377128ac0 Self-Publish
A Little Freedom: Slave Runaways in North Carolina, 1775-1840
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Absconding-Fleeing Slavery
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Even though instances of enslaved people fleeing plantations occurred with great frequency, it is easy to downplay the implications that engaging in truancy, absconding, freedom-seeking, eloping, or running away had on the freedom seekers, other enslaved persons, the slaveholders, and the institution of slavery.
Running away was a silent, yet loud expression that blacks did not see the world in the same way as whites and felt slavery was a fundamental wrong. Running away was an act of resistance—a rejection of white society and its demand for slaves. It was also an expression of values that were opposed to the values of the slave society. Overall, the runaway served as a great symbol for the need for a better society, improved human relations, and served as a critique of the institution of slavery.
To conceptualize the idea of running away or freedom-seeking, it is important to artificially set a difference between absconding [lurking] and eloping [seeking to leave permanently]. The former generally meant temporary absence from the plantation or work area while remaining in the area. On the other hand, the latter generally meant seeking a more permanent escape, which may consist of escaping to free geography, joining or building a maroon community, or staying on the run [never being caught].
All escape attempts begin as absconding. Setting an artificial difference in absconding [running way] is an act of manipulation of the sources in order to gain insights into its function of running away. Success and failure of running away depended on the intent and the desire of the enslaved.
Success cannot be measured based on whether slaves were caught. Neither can failure be measured in terms of whether slaves could successfully run away. For instance, if the goal of freedom-seeking was to obtain small freedom in negotiating and setting limits on labor, then being caught or returning to the plantation where changes were made comprises a successful runaway attempt, even if punishment was meted out for escaping.
When thinking about running away, you have to account for the epoch. Before free geography existed, we must remember that the American North, Canada, or Mexico were not free places. Thus, many who ran away before these places were forced to rely on friendly Native Americans, find a way to Spanish Florida or use the frontier as a space to hide. The latter was the case for one black man who ran away to North Carolina's mountains during or before the Revolutionary War. He was away from this master for so long and thought to be hiding around a certain mountain in NC that the mountain was called Negro Mountain. Unfortunately, he was captured and returned after the revolutionary war.
After the revolutionary war, Northern states ended or gradually ended slavery, and a portion of Canada abolished slavery. As a result, these places and others, such as Mexico, became the target of enslaved people seeking free places.
