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Difficulty: MediumDevelopment of Chattel Slavery

"Whereas some doubts have risen whether children that are slaves by birth, and by the charity and piety of their owners made partakers of the blessed sacrament of baptism, should by virtue of their baptism be made free; It is enacted and declared by this Grand Assembly... that the conferring of baptism doth not alter the condition of the person as to his bondage or freedom..."

— Virginia General Assembly, 1667

Which of the following developments in the seventeenth-century Chesapeake colonies is best illustrated by the excerpt?

  1. A
    The protection of legal rights and freedom dues for European indentured servants
  2. B
    The decline of colonial reliance on the transatlantic slave trade due to mercantilist regulations
  3. The institutionalization of a hereditary and racialized system of chattel slaveryAnswer
  4. D
    The standardization of religious qualifications for voting rights across New England and Southern colonies

Answer

The institutionalization of a hereditary and racialized system of chattel slavery
The excerpt demonstrates how colonial legislatures in the Chesapeake progressively codified laws to ensure that conversion to Christianity would not alter a slave's status, thereby sealing legal loopholes and establishing chattel slavery as a permanent, racialized, and hereditary institution.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the historical context and the content of the primary source document.
The document is a 1667 Virginia law stating that baptism does not change the status of a slave from bondage to freedom.
Understanding the core subject of the source is necessary to identify the legal changes occurring in the Chesapeake.
2
Evaluate the choices to determine which historical development aligns with the legislative actions described in the text.
The law closed a loophole where conversion to Christianity could lead to freedom, reflecting the consolidation and institutionalization of permanent chattel slavery.
Connecting the specific text (baptism not altering bondage) to the broader trend of codifying permanent racial slavery.

Key Concept

The legal codification of hereditary racial slavery in the Chesapeake
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Development of Chattel Slavery

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