Consider the following historical data showing the estimated population of laborers in Virginia between 1660 and 1700:
| Year | Estimated Number of European Indentured Servants | Estimated Number of Enslaved Africans |
|---|---|---|
| 1660 | 6,000 | 950 |
| 1680 | 5,000 | 3,000 |
| 1700 | 2,000 | 16,000 |
Which of the following historical developments is most directly reflected in the table?
- The transition from a labor force of temporary indentured servants to one dominated by permanent, hereditary chattel slavery.Answer
- BThe legal transformation of European indentured servants into permanent, lifelong chattel slaves when their contracts expired.
- CThe rise of a plantation-style labor system based on chattel slavery across the New England colonies.
- DThe replacement of the Spanish encomienda system with English indentured servitude in the Chesapeake region.
Answer
The transition from a labor force of temporary indentured servants to one dominated by permanent, hereditary chattel slavery.
The correct answer identifies the fundamental shift in the Chesapeake labor force during the late seventeenth century. As the supply of English indentured servants declined and economic opportunities in England improved, Southern planters increasingly turned to the transatlantic slave trade to meet their labor needs. This led to the passage of laws that codified a system of permanent, hereditary racial chattel slavery.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
The shift from indentured servitude to racial chattel slavery in the Chesapeake.