If the mill had wanted to hire skilled free men, the advertisement would
probably have said so in those words. Generally, "negro" referred to
enslaved people in that context. Suzanne G. Schnittman's 1987 University of
Rochester doctoral dissertation, "Slavery in Virginia's Urban Tobacco
Industry," clearly documents industrial hiring of enslaved laborers for
long and short term adjustments to a labor force during the decades before
the Civil War, including in Richmond.

Brent Tarter
[log in to unmask]


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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