Maryland Gazette Runaway Slave Advertisement, August 20, 1761

• This runaway slave advertisement was published by George Washington. Learn more about Washington’s views on slavery by pairing this advertisement with the lesson plan “George Washington's Views on Slavery” that asks students to examine document-based evidence.

• Advertisements for enslaved people who ran away were common in eighteenth-century newspapers. Why is this document important for historians today? Ask students what information they can pull from this document and use to understand history at this time and place. From the information given, what can they learn about the four men who escaped? Does this document tell the entire story?

• To learn more about the life of enslaved people at Mount Vernon, use the Maryland Gazette advertisement in conjunction with the lesson plan “Curating the Slave Quarters." Students will analyze and use evidence from diverse sources to act as curators and create an interpretation plan for the Greenhouse Slave Quarters at Mount Vernon. 

• Use this primary source along with the lesson plan “George Washington's List of Enslaved People, 1799” to explore the institution of slavery in the eighteenth century and George Washington’s role as a businessman and slave owner.

• After dissecting and discussing the primary source with students, pass out the infograph “Slavery at Mount Vernon, 1799” that visually represents slavery at Mount Vernon. Use the stories of eighteen of the enslaved people at Mount Vernon to highlight individual stories and their role within the Mount Vernon plantation.

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