Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumLegal Construction of Slavery and Slave Codes

Read the excerpt below from a 1669 Virginia colonial statute:

'WHEREAS the only law in force for the punishment of refractory servants... cannot be inflicted upon negroes, the obstinacy of many of them will not by other than violent means be supprest, Be it enacted and declared... if any slave resist his master (or others by his masters order correcting him) and by the extremity of the coaction should chance to die, that his death shall not be [considered] felony... since it cannot be presumed that prepensed malice (which alone makes murther felony) should induce any man to destroy his owne estate.'

Which of the following best describes the historical significance of this statute in the legal construction of chattel slavery?

  1. It legally defined enslaved individuals as property ('estate'), thereby removing standard criminal liability for masters who caused their deaths during punishment.Answer
  2. B
    It established that conversion to Christianity would no longer release an enslaved person from lifelong servitude.
  3. C
    It legally mandated that the social and legal status of newborn children would follow that of their mothers.
  4. D
    It codified a uniform set of racial slave codes that immediately applied to all British North American colonies.

Answer

The statute legally defined enslaved individuals as property ('estate'), thereby removing standard criminal liability for masters who caused their deaths during punishment.
The correct answer is correct because the 1669 statute explicitly refers to the enslaved person as the master's 'owne estate' (property) and declares that a master cannot be charged with a felony for the death of their own property during correction, establishing a core legal foundation of chattel slavery.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the primary source document for key terms defining the legal relationship between masters and enslaved individuals.
The text states that the death of a slave resisting correction 'shall not be accompted felony' and refers to the slave as the master's 'owne estate' (property).
Identifying how the law categorizes enslaved individuals is necessary to understand its legal and economic impact.
2
Relate these key terms to the broader historical process of the legal construction of slavery.
Defining enslaved people as 'estate' or property and removing criminal liability for their deaths legally codifies the concept of chattel slavery (viewing human beings as property).
This connects the specific colonial statute to the larger AP African American Studies framework regarding the legal development of chattel slavery.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one that accurately describes this property-based legal definition and its implications.
The correct option describes the classification of enslaved individuals as property and the removal of standard criminal liability for masters.
This direct matching confirms the correct answer based on textual analysis and historical context.

Key Concept

The property-based legal definition of enslaved people and the removal of criminal liability for masters in colonial slave codes.
Rate this question

Topics

Legal Construction of Slavery and Slave Codes

More questions from this topic