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Difficulty: EasyGendered Dimensions of Slavery and Resistance

Read the following excerpt from a runaway advertisement published in a North Carolina newspaper in 1795:

'Run away from the subscriber... a Negro woman named Phoebe, about 28 years of age... She took with her a male child about three years old... It is expected she will attempt to reach Wilmington, where she has a husband and other relatives.'

Which of the following historical conclusions about the gendered dimensions of resistance is best supported by this advertisement?

  1. Enslaved women's attempts to escape were frequently shaped by maternal obligations and the desire to preserve family connections.Answer
  2. B
    Enslaved women escaped at higher rates and over longer distances than enslaved men.
  3. C
    Colonial legal codes like *partus sequitur ventrem* effectively eliminated the desire of enslaved mothers to escape with their children.
  4. D
    Armed collective rebellion was the most common method of resistance chosen by enslaved women.

Answer

Enslaved women's attempts to escape were frequently shaped by maternal obligations and the desire to preserve family connections.
The correct option is supported by the advertisement, which shows the enslaved woman escaping with her young child to reunite with her husband and relatives. This reflects a broader historical pattern where enslaved women's flight was often motivated by and organized around family reunification and maternal ties, even though traveling with children made escape more difficult and increased the likelihood of capture.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the primary source text for details about the enslaved woman's flight.
The text shows that the runaway, Phoebe, fled with her three-year-old child to Wilmington, where her husband and other family members resided.
Identifying the specific details in the stimulus provides the evidentiary basis needed to evaluate the historical conclusions.
2
Evaluate the choices against historical evidence regarding gendered patterns of resistance and flight.
Women faced distinct social and maternal pressures, which meant their escapes were often local and centered around reuniting with or protecting family members, unlike the longer-distance escapes typical of single men.
Applying knowledge of the gendered dimensions of slavery helps distinguish historically accurate dynamics of female resistance from common misconceptions.
3
Select the correct option that is directly supported by the advertisement and historical consensus.
The option asserting that maternal obligations and family ties shaped women's escape plans is both supported by the text and historically accurate.
This option aligns with the factual evidence in the advertisement showing flight with a child to reunite with relatives.

Key Concept

Maternal obligations and family ties shaped the patterns and motivations of enslaved women's flight and resistance.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Gendered Dimensions of Slavery and Resistance

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