Read the following excerpt from a speech by James McDowell in the Virginia House of Delegates (1832) concerning the aftermath of Nat Turner’s rebellion:
"It is not the fear of Nat Turner, and his deluded, drunken band, which has troubled this state... It is the suspicion that a Nat Turner might be in every family, that the same bloody deed might be acted over at any time, in any place, that the slaveholder is never safe... This is the dread which has penetrated every heart."
Based on the excerpt and your knowledge of the historical context, which of the following best describes how the Virginia legislature responded to the "dread" described by McDowell?
- It rejected proposals for gradual emancipation and instead passed stricter laws restricting the movement, assembly, and literacy of both enslaved and free Black people.Answer
- BIt formally recognized the distinction between grand maroonage and petit maroonage, directing local militias to target permanent maroon communities in the Great Dismal Swamp.
- CIt legally tolerated covert forms of everyday resistance, such as tool-breaking and feigned illness, to pacify enslaved laborers and prevent armed insurrections.
- DIt relocated the state capital and outlawed the African Methodist Episcopal Church in response to the Richmond-based conspiracy of Denmark Vesey.
Answer
The Virginia legislature rejected proposals for gradual emancipation and instead passed stricter laws restricting the movement, assembly, and literacy of both enslaved and free Black people.
The correct answer is correct because the 1831 Nat Turner rebellion led directly to the Virginia Slavery Debates of 1831–1832. During these debates, proposals for gradual emancipation and colonization were narrowly defeated. Consequently, the legislature passed stricter slave codes to control the Black population, such as prohibiting independent Black preaching and assembly, and outlawing literacy for enslaved people.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
The legislative and ideological aftermath of Nat Turner's rebellion, specifically the rejection of gradual emancipation and the tightening of slave codes during the Virginia Slavery Debates of 1831–1832.