CONTENT WARNING
Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; and gender and sexual orientation.
Context
Virginia's economy was based on slavery until the Civil War and emancipation. Farmers and planters relied on enslaved laborers to work their land. Many businesses, including railroads, coal mines, tobacco factories, and saltworks, also exploited enslaved laborers. Urban residents relied on enslaved men and women to cook, clean, and care for their households. White Virginians who did not own slaves sometimes hired enslaved laborers from their owners to work for them.
An unknown number of enslaved people attempted to escape from the harsh conditions of slavery, and Virginia's General Assembly passed numerous laws to hinder escapes and to require the return of escaped slaves to their owners. A 1705 act offered rewards for the capture of escaped slaves, punished them by whipping, and punished local officials who allowed an enslaved person to escape. If the owner of an escaped slave could not be found, later laws authorized jailers to hire out the enslaved person with an "iron collar" around their neck and to sell them at public auction.
This record was created in Kanawha County (now part of West Virginia) in 1834 and filed in the county court in 1835. William Albright was one of three escaped slaves who were being held at the county jail. The county appointed commissioners to assess the value of the enslaved people in order to recover the costs the county paid to confine them in jail. William Albright was valued at $50, which was considered insufficient to pay for his confinement. By order of the court, the sheriff sold William Albright at the courthouse door in September 1834. What happened to him afterwards is unknown. Records such as these illustrate some of the dangers faced by enslaved men and women who tried to free themselves by escaping.
Citation: William Albright Etc., Runaway Slave Record, Kanawha County [West Virginia], 1835, Library of Virginia.
Learn more about the Library's collection of Runaway Slaves Records here (p. 15–16).
Listen to historian Tom Costa discuss the punishments faced by runaway slaves in this excerpt (3:10 min) from With Good Reason online at Encyclopedia Virginia.
An unknown number of enslaved people attempted to escape from the harsh conditions of slavery, and Virginia's General Assembly passed numerous laws to hinder escapes and to require the return of escaped slaves to their owners. A 1705 act offered rewards for the capture of escaped slaves, punished them by whipping, and punished local officials who allowed an enslaved person to escape. If the owner of an escaped slave could not be found, later laws authorized jailers to hire out the enslaved person with an "iron collar" around their neck and to sell them at public auction.
This record was created in Kanawha County (now part of West Virginia) in 1834 and filed in the county court in 1835. William Albright was one of three escaped slaves who were being held at the county jail. The county appointed commissioners to assess the value of the enslaved people in order to recover the costs the county paid to confine them in jail. William Albright was valued at $50, which was considered insufficient to pay for his confinement. By order of the court, the sheriff sold William Albright at the courthouse door in September 1834. What happened to him afterwards is unknown. Records such as these illustrate some of the dangers faced by enslaved men and women who tried to free themselves by escaping.
Citation: William Albright Etc., Runaway Slave Record, Kanawha County [West Virginia], 1835, Library of Virginia.
Learn more about the Library's collection of Runaway Slaves Records here (p. 15–16).
Listen to historian Tom Costa discuss the punishments faced by runaway slaves in this excerpt (3:10 min) from With Good Reason online at Encyclopedia Virginia.
Standards
VUS.1, VUS.2
Suggested Questions
Preview Activity
Analyze: Create a hypothesis about the purpose of this document.
Post-Activities
Form an Opinion: After reading this document, form an opinion about what transpired. What do you base your opinion on? Explain using at least two examples from the document.
Think About It: What are three things you learned about William Albright from this document?
Another Perspective: Imagine you are an abolitionist opposed to slavery. How might you use this document to support your position?
Analyze: Create a hypothesis about the purpose of this document.
Post-Activities
Form an Opinion: After reading this document, form an opinion about what transpired. What do you base your opinion on? Explain using at least two examples from the document.
Think About It: What are three things you learned about William Albright from this document?
Another Perspective: Imagine you are an abolitionist opposed to slavery. How might you use this document to support your position?