Rita,
Gabriel's rebellion revealed the dangers of a growing "masterless" class of
slaves, who were rented by Richmond's growing industries.  Urban slaves
working for foundry and mill owners  often had freedom of movement
throughout the city, which is undoubtedly why there was a movement to limit
the practice in the wake of the rebellion.  If there was a prohibition
against renting slaves, it was short-lived, as renting slaves persisted in
the 19th century. I think that this was an ad to rent slaves and not free
laborers.  You have created a good discussion here.

Sarah

On Tue, Jun 5, 2018 at 3:57 PM, Rita Goldberg <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

> Thank you very much for this information, Sarah. I know very little about
> Gabriel's rebellion but have now looked at a few sites online. Several of
> them point our that one of the measures taken in response to the rebellion
> was the prohibition of hiring out slaves. Do you think that by 1812 the
> rule was being ignored? If, on the other hand, compliance was general, then
> I imagine that the people sought by the ad would not have been slaves. I'll
> be sure to read further on this interesting subject.
>
> Rita
> ________________________________________
> From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history [
> [log in to unmask]] on behalf of Sarah Goldberger [
> [log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2018 11:59
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] Hired men or slaves?
>
> Rita,
> There is a possibility they were free or purchased by the mill owners, but
> renting slaves to mill owners was very common in eastern Virginia.  Some of
> these mills had a variety of workers, free and enslaved, who worked side by
> side.  My guess is that they wanted to rent skilled slaves. You might want
> to read one of the books on Gabriel Prosser's rebellion, which examines the
> complexities of labor and freedom in Richmond.
>
> Sarah
>
> On Tue, Jun 5, 2018 at 11:29 AM, Rita Goldberg <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
> > In an 1812 ad placed in a Richmond paper, Gallego, Richard & Co. are
> > seeking a "number of good negroes" to work in their mills as well as
> "some
> > good negro coopers." Would these be free men, slaves who were hired out
> by
> > their owners or slaves that the company would buy from their owners? If
> > they were free, why would the ad specify the race and not just say
> > "workers" or "coopers"?
> >
> > Thanks for your help.
> >
> > Rita Goldberg
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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