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Difficulty: EasyDevelopment of Chattel Slavery

Read the following excerpt from a Virginia court ruling in 1640:

"Whereas Hugh Gwyn hath... brought back from Maryland three servants formerly run away... the Court doth therefore order that the first, being a Dutchman named Victor, and the other a Scotchman named James Gregory, shall first serve their said master for one whole year [after their indentures expire]... and the third being a negro named John Punch shall serve his said master or his assigns for the time of his natural life here or elsewhere."

Which of the following developments in the British North American colonies is best illustrated by this court decision?

  1. A
    The expansion of the Spanish encomienda system into the British Chesapeake colonies
  2. B
    The legal equalization of European indentured servants and African workers under colonial law
  3. The gradual emergence of a racialized system of lifelong chattel slavery for African laborersAnswer
  4. D
    The reliance of New England colonies on large-scale cash crop plantation agriculture

Answer

The gradual emergence of a racialized system of lifelong chattel slavery for African laborers
The correct answer is correct because the court decision demonstrates a clear shift in how colonial authorities treated runaway servants based on their race and origin. By sentencing the African servant, John Punch, to lifelong service while only adding temporary time to the Dutch and Scottish servants' indentures, the Virginia court established one of the earliest legal precedents for permanent, racialized chattel slavery in the British North American colonies.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the historical source context
The document is a 1640 Virginia court ruling involving three runaway servants: a Dutchman, a Scotsman, and an African man (John Punch).
Identifying the actors and their geographic and temporal settings helps pin down the colonial labor transition period.
2
Compare the punishments assigned to each servant
The European servants (Dutch and Scottish) receive an additional year of service, while the African servant is sentenced to serve for the rest of his natural life.
Recognizing the divergence in punishments reveals how the legal system began to treat laborers differently based on race.
3
Connect the legal divergence to broader colonial trends
The sentencing of an African worker to lifelong service represents a major early milestone in the development of racialized, hereditary chattel slavery in the Chesapeake.
Linking this specific legal case to the larger transition from temporary indentured servitude to permanent racial slavery identifies the correct historical development.

Key Concept

The legal and social transition from indentured servitude to racialized chattel slavery in the colonial South.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Development of Chattel Slavery

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