The Virginia Slave Codes of 1705 (formally entitled An act concerning Servants and Slaves), were a series of laws enacted by the

Colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colonial empire, English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertG ...

House of Burgesses The House of Burgesses was the elected representative element of the Virginia General Assembly, the legislative body of the Colony of Virginia. With the creation of the House of Burgesses in 1642, the General Assembly, which had been established ...

in 1705 regulating the interactions between slaves and citizens of the crown colony of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. The enactment of the Slave Codes is considered to be the consolidation of

slavery in Virginia Slavery in Virginia began with the capture and enslavement of Native Americans during the early days of the English Colony of Virginia and through the late eighteenth century. They primarily worked in tobacco fields. Africans were first brough ...

, and served as the foundation of Virginia's slave legislation. These codes effectively embedded the idea of slavery into law by the following devices:Eric Foner, ''Give Me Liberty!: An American History'', W.W. Norton & Company, 2009, p. 100 * Established new property rights for slave owners * Allowed for the legal, free trade of slaves with protections granted by the courts * Established separate courts of trial * Prohibited slaves from going armed, without written permission * Whites could not be employed by any blacks * Allowed for the apprehension of suspected runaways The law was devised to establish a greater level of control over the rising African slave population of Virginia. It also served to socially segregate white colonists from black enslaved persons, making them disparate groups hindering their ability to unite. A unity of the commoners was a perceived fear of the Virginia aristocracy which had to be addressed, and who wished to prevent a repeat of events such as

Bacon's Rebellion Bacon's Rebellion was an armed rebellion held by Colony of Virginia, Virginia settlers that took place from 1676 to 1677. It was led by Nathaniel Bacon (Virginia colonist), Nathaniel Bacon against List of colonial governors of Virginia, Colon ...

, occurring 29 years prior.

Ibram X. Kendi Ibram Xolani Kendi (born Ibram Henry Rogers, August 13, 1982) is an American author, professor, Anti-racism, anti-racist activist, and historian of race and discriminatory policy in America. In July 2020, he assumed the position of director of th ...

, '' Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America'', Nation Books, 2016, p. 53-54, 67-68

Notes

{{Slavery in Virginia Virginia law Legal history of Virginia United States slavery law History of slavery in Virginia 1705 in Virginia 1705 in law

See also

Notes