Runaway Slaves

The image above is a flier that was probably posted around the Northern States to warn runaway slaves of the risks of talking to certain White men. I retrieved this image from http://onfreedom.wordpress.com/category/african-americans-in-ri/

This post is very significant because it shows us a different perspective from White Americans. This flyer seems to have been posted by a white American because of the line that says "on the track of your race." The fact that it says "your" tells us that whoever posted this was not of the same race.

This flyer is unique, because I did not expect to find a flyer warning runaway slaves to be careful. After reading the narratives in our book, I am left to wonder whether this is a trick or a legitimate sign of warning. One, not very many slaves were educated nor had the skill of reading. Two, the ones that could read were probably smart enough to have already known this information. So, my point is how is this really helpful?

After reading Harriet Jacobs' narrative and reading the paragraph about the woman who thought America was governed by a queen I was astonished at how ignorant the slaves were. It was not their fault at all, but i was still shocked that they didnt even know who was at the head of our government. So, this fact alone leads me to question the usefulness of this flyer. How could it possibly help warn slaves when they cant even read its message? I really like that the people of the north were trying to help runaway slaves know the dangers that they faced, but i just dont agree with how effective their strategy was. The message itself basically states that the runaway slaves are in danger, and need to be weary of white officials. This message could really help a runaway slave that doesnt know much about his/her situation, but then we face the fact that they probably cant read it, which makes this flyer pointless. The reason it could be a trick, is because if a slave was seen reading this flyer closely, one could assume that he is a fugitive and question him.

Beside the question of whether this flyer was legit or not, I think that there is a lot of perspective that this image can offer. It shows the good nature of the northerners, and at that same time it makes us question its effectiveness. Blacks were highly uneducated and i doubt that very many could actually read this dire message. The importance of this message lies in the fact of its truth. Many slaves that escaped were captured/kidnapped and returned to their masters for a reward. This flyer's intent is to prevent more blacks being taken away from their newly gained freedom, and i hope that most were successful in avoiding being returned to their lives of despair

Overall, I dont know whether to believe that this flyer was a trick or a legitimate attempt at helping Slaves. I hope it is the latter, because I have not seen many writings from or actions of northern citizens that show how they want to help the Slaves. It is a very unique thing to see for that time period, and I am glad that not all americans were blind to what was right.