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 reserved for slaves was very similar to that reserved for 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 such act was the running away of slaves and servants. Both serfs and indentured slaves made the incredibly courageous decision to risk escape and capture in the hopes of finding a free and better life, rather than continuing to live in their oppressive conditions. Advertisements for runaway slaves became common in newspapers in Virginia and throughout the South. The ads represented growing resistance from both indentured servants and slaves to their poor treatment. Advertisements were the slave owner's resource for returning his property. Analyzing the ads, it is clear that the attitude towards serfs and slaves was more of an object of property than that of a human being. Slave owners list things like physical descriptions, special abilities, 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 in advertisements for both servants and indentured slaves are the physical descriptions. The descriptions are given in great detail, however do not contain a personal tone. The descriptions seem very detached, as if they were describing an inanimate object. Almost all ads begin with "Negro man" or "Negro... middle of paper... other slave owners would probably help a fugitive. When the Northern states abolished slavery, blacks could begin to build a life at liberty.The North was now the land of the free.This had a huge impact on the thousands of slaves and indentured servants who escaped seeking freedom and their dreams of a better life Southern slave owners considered the act to escape a lack of respect. They had paid money for the slaves and therefore owned them as their property. The advertisements served as a resource for them to regain their assets, both human and material. The descriptions of the servants and indentured slaves provided in the ads clearly attest to the fact that slaves were considered property The ads offer great insight into what a slave's life was like and why they would risk running away.