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Difficulty: EasyDevelopment of Chattel Slavery

"For preventing meetings of... slaves... it is enacted that it shall not be lawful for any... slave to depart from his master’s ground without a certificate... and if any... slave shall presume to lift up his hand in opposition against any Christian, he shall... receive thirty lashes on his bare back."

— Virginia General Assembly, "An Act for Preventing Negroes Insurrections," 1680

The provisions in the excerpt best reflect which of the following historical developments in the Southern colonies during the late seventeenth century?

  1. The legal codification of a strict racial hierarchy and system of chattel slaveryAnswer
  2. B
    The transition from chattel slavery to indentured servitude as the primary labor system
  3. C
    The standardizing of colonial trade regulations to align with British mercantilist policies
  4. D
    The emergence of demographic and economic parity between New England and the Southern colonies

Answer

The legal codification of a strict racial hierarchy and system of chattel slavery
The correct answer is correct because the 1680 statute demonstrates how colonial assemblies in the Chesapeake and Southern colonies used legislation to codify a strict racial hierarchy. By restricting mobility and prescribing physical punishments for enslaved people who challenged white colonists ('Christians'), these laws legally cemented chattel slavery and racial control.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the text of the 1680 Virginia law.
The law restricts physical movement of enslaved individuals and establishes harsh physical punishments for slaves opposing white colonists (referred to as 'Christians').
Identifying the target and restrictions of the law reveals its underlying purpose of social control.
2
Connect the law to the broader labor trends of the late seventeenth century.
As the tobacco economy grew and the supply of indentured servants decreased, Southern colonies legally defined racial and social statuses to stabilize their labor force through hereditary chattel slavery.
Placing the law in its historical context explains why these specific legal distinctions were being written.
3
Determine which option matches this process of legal definition and control.
The option pointing to the legal codification of a strict racial hierarchy and chattel slavery is correct, as the law uses legal structures to create distinct rights and punishments based on race and servitude status.
Selecting the option that accurately characterizes the shift toward legally enforced racial hierarchy confirms the answer.

Key Concept

Development of Chattel Slavery
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Topics

Development of Chattel Slavery

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