The New York slave codes were a series of
slave codes
The slave codes were laws relating to slavery and enslaved people, specifically regarding the Atlantic slave trade and chattel slavery in the Americas.
Most slave codes were concerned with the rights and duties of free people in regards to ensla ...
passed in the
Province of New York
The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a British proprietary colony and later royal colony on the northeast coast of North America. As one of the Middle Colonies, New York achieved independence and worked with the others to found the U ...
to regulate
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
. The first slave code was passed in 1702, with major expansions passing in 1712 and 1730 in response to
slave insurrections.
1702 slave code
The 1702 slave code was a 2-page act with six clauses,
which were:
# Preventing free people from trading with any enslaved person without permission of the slave-owner, suffering a fine of five pounds and thrice the value of anything traded.
# Permitting slave-owners to punish their slaves as they see fit, short of maiming or killing them.
# Banning slaves meeting away from the slave-owner's property in groups of three or more.
# Requiring a signed certificate for a slave to be on anyone other than their owner's property.
# Changing the punishment for small crimes committed by slaves so that the slave-owner pays the fine and the slave suffers corporal punishment.
# Banning the testimony of slaves, except against other slaves.
References
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History of slavery in New York (state)
History of racism in New York (state)
African-American history of New York (state)
United States slavery law