Thomas Boman: Freedom Seeking in Revolutionary North Carolina

Beginning in the 1700’s revolutionary North Carolina would have had a distinctive regional culture around routes to freedom and freedom seeking. While Northern colonies such as New York have very well documented historiographies and cultural interest, the lack of colonial documentation has made Southern colonies less prominent in discourse around freedom seeking. This poster argues for the unique and notable regional distinction of North Carolina through the story of an enslaved man--Thomas Boman. Boman was a freedom seeker in Eastern North Carolina whose path to potential freedom illuminates distinct North Carolinian culture, the relationship of skilled labors and enslavement, the utility of Maroon communities, diasporic Blacksmithing, and colorist hierarchies. This project underscores these topics while telling the story of a resilient man, whose story has not yet been written about until now. Visually this poster would include archival images of the region in which Boman was freedom seeking, an advertisement for his capture, and more. Overarchingly, this story is aided in being told visually as there are many artifacts and images which could explicate both the individual, the broader region, and culture.

Link to CV: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qk9gz_vVU7vnz-2-vU5IpE5cEgyeeYQ8/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=112270631272025810580&rtpof=true&sd=true