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Difficulty: MediumDevelopment of Chattel Slavery

"Their Servants, they distinguish into two sorts, Slaves for life, and Servants for a time. . . . Slaves are the Negroes, and their Posterity, following the condition of the Mother, according to the Maxim, partus sequitur ventrem. They are called Slaves, in respect of the time of their Servitude, because it is for Life. Servants, are those which serve only for a few years, according to the Laws of the Country, or the Custom of the Inhabitants, or their own Agreement. . . ."

— Robert Beverley, The History and Present State of Virginia, 1705

Which of the following developments in the British North American colonies is best reflected in the excerpt?

  1. The legal codification of slavery as a lifelong, hereditary institution defined by raceAnswer
  2. B
    The gradual extension of contractual labor terms for European indentured servants
  3. C
    The establishment of a uniform plantation-based labor system across both New England and Southern colonies
  4. D
    The effort by colonial legislatures to bypass British mercantilist regulations by limiting the import of laborers

Answer

The legal codification of slavery as a lifelong, hereditary institution defined by race
The correct answer accurately identifies the transition to racial chattel slavery. The excerpt from Robert Beverley in 1705 outlines the legal reality that African laborers were enslaved for life and that this status was hereditary through the mother (*partus sequitur ventrem*). This reflects the systematic legal codification of racial slavery enacted by colonial assemblies in the Chesapeake during the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus document for key terms defining labor status.
The text distinguishes 'Slaves for life' from 'Servants for a time' and notes that slavery is hereditary through the mother ('following the condition of the Mother').
This establishes that the system being described is chattel slavery, where labor status is inherited and permanent.
2
Evaluate the historical context of the document (Virginia, 1705).
During the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, colonial legislatures enacted slave codes that formalized racial slavery, distinguishing it from temporary indenture.
This aligns the text with the legal codification of hereditary chattel slavery in the southern colonies.
3
Compare the options to identify the development that matches this legal definition.
The option describing the codification of lifelong, hereditary slavery based on race directly aligns with the source's description of posterity following the mother's condition.
This confirms the correct choice while distinguishing it from temporary labor systems like indentured servitude.

Key Concept

The transition from temporary indentured servitude to a legalized system of hereditary racial chattel slavery in the British colonies.
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Topics

Development of Chattel Slavery

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