My name is Sir William Thompson III. I would like to place an advertisement for a runaway slave who goes by the name of Buck. I believe that he fled my estate early Thursday morning before dawn and is headed to New York. This slave of mine is about 5’11, very well built, and is a fairer skinned negro. Buck is extremely duplicitous in nature and character; he has the tongue of an Englishman and Frenchman. He may be wearing a stolen pair of brown wool trousers with the initials WTIII embroidered on the waistline and a chiffon French-tailored blouse. On his personhood may also be a set of craftsman tools that he has stolen from me. This damned negro, with the help of the devil himself, may have forged a traveling pass. I would greatly appreciate your assistance in helping me recover my property.
Q1: What elements, both performative and through props, did slaves use to pass as free people, in manipulating their class and racial identity?
Q2: How does the black sailor narrative and runaway slave advertisements challenge the power structure of slavery?
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