Slavery and indentured servitude were the backbone of Virginia's economy. Slaves were considered an investment in the planter's business and a necessity for success. The treatment of slaves was about the same as owning property or equipment. Slaves were not considered human beings, on the contrary, they had an inferior status. Slaves and indentured servants grew tired of their treatment and responded with acts of rebellion. One of these acts was to drive away slaves and servants. Both indentured servants and slaves made the incredibly courageous decision to risk flight and capture in hopes of finding a free and better life, rather than continuing to live in their oppressive conditions. Advertisements for runaway slaves became commonplace in newspapers across Virginia and the South. The advertisements represented the growing resistance of indentured servants and slaves to their mistreatment. Advertisements were the slave owner's resource for restitution of his property. Analyzing the advertisements, it is clear that attitudes towards servants and slaves were more of property than a human being. Slave owners list things like physical descriptions, special skills, rewards for their capture and return. This article will compare and contrast advertisements for indentured servants and runaway slaves. One of the most notable features of advertisements for indentured servants and slaves is the physical description. The descriptions are given in great detail, but they do not contain personal tone. The descriptions seem very detached, as if describing an inanimate object. The advertisements almost all begin with "Black man" or "Negro...... middle of paper ... it is likely that other slave owners would help a fugitive. When the Northern states abolished slavery, blacks were able to begin to build a life in freedom. The North was now the land of the free. This had a huge impact on the thousands of slaves and indentured servants who fled in an attempt to achieve freedom and their dreams of a better life. Southern slave owners viewed running away as disrespectful. They had paid money for the slaves and therefore owned them as their property. Advertisements served as a resource for them to recover their goods, both human and material. The descriptions of indentured servants and slaves given in advertisements clearly attest to the fact that slaves were considered property. The advertisements offer a great insight into the life of a slave and why he might run away..