The creation of slavery as an institution in the colonies took more than 150 years to build and even longer to spread from on to another. Even though there are similarities among the legal practices that governed slaves they varied by location and backgrounds of the people in each of the colonies as well as the type of labor being performed by the slaves in each of the locations.
One of the first slave codes was passed by the legislature in Virginia in 1705. This code, “embedded white supremacy in law, clearly defining black slaves as property and sharply limiting the freedom of blacks. (Spotlight: The Beginnings of Black Slavery in America). Slave codes also ensured that the children of slaves were also slaves and allowed for a system of punishments for slaves who misbehaved, tried to escape, and in some cases, tried to learn to read or write. The codes overall ensured that slaves were not viewed as human or at the very least not equal to whites. As time when by and more slave codes were developed they seemed …show more content…
By far, the slaves in the New England colonies were treated the most humane. This was probably due to the fact that the farms were smaller, the black population less, and even the richest of families usually owned only one or two slaves. Slaves also worked in different roles – farm hands, in shops, and as personal servants. Since there were less of them the whites weren’t worried about an uprising so the slaves were given some freedoms including free-time when their work was finished, severe punishment of slaves was not allowed, and they could own property and pass it on to their heirs. Those things were unheard of in the
One of the first slave codes was passed by the legislature in Virginia in 1705. This code, “embedded white supremacy in law, clearly defining black slaves as property and sharply limiting the freedom of blacks. (Spotlight: The Beginnings of Black Slavery in America). Slave codes also ensured that the children of slaves were also slaves and allowed for a system of punishments for slaves who misbehaved, tried to escape, and in some cases, tried to learn to read or write. The codes overall ensured that slaves were not viewed as human or at the very least not equal to whites. As time when by and more slave codes were developed they seemed …show more content…
By far, the slaves in the New England colonies were treated the most humane. This was probably due to the fact that the farms were smaller, the black population less, and even the richest of families usually owned only one or two slaves. Slaves also worked in different roles – farm hands, in shops, and as personal servants. Since there were less of them the whites weren’t worried about an uprising so the slaves were given some freedoms including free-time when their work was finished, severe punishment of slaves was not allowed, and they could own property and pass it on to their heirs. Those things were unheard of in the