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Difficulty: EasyDevelopment of Chattel Slavery

In 1662, the Virginia House of Burgesses passed the following statute:

'Whereas some doubts have arisen whether children got by any Englishman upon a negro woman should be slave or free, Be it therefore enacted... that all children borne in this country shalbe held bond or free only according to the condition of the mother.'

The legal principle established in this statute most directly contributed to which of the following developments?

  1. A
    The development of large-scale plantation agriculture in the New England colonies.
  2. B
    The standardization of contract terms for European indentured servants.
  3. The codification of a hereditary system of chattel slavery.Answer
  4. D
    The regulation of mercantilist trade practices by the British crown.

Answer

The codification of a hereditary system of chattel slavery.
The correct answer is correct because the 1662 Virginia statute legally defined a child's status according to the status of the mother (partus sequitur ventrem). This legal mechanism was foundational in establishing a hereditary system of chattel slavery, ensuring that the children of enslaved women remained enslaved for life.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the text of the 1662 Virginia statute.
The statute declares that children born in the colony will be bond (enslaved) or free based on the condition of the mother.
Understanding the literal text of the document is the first step to identifying its historical impact.
2
Relate the legal change to the institutionalization of colonial labor systems.
By tying legal status to the mother, the colony created a self-reproducing, permanent labor force separate from temporary contract labor.
This legal distinction solidified the transition from temporary indentured servitude to permanent, hereditary racial slavery.
3
Evaluate the options to find the development that reflects this hereditary legal structure.
The option stating the codification of hereditary chattel slavery matches the legal mechanism established by the statute.
Selecting this option directly demonstrates comprehension of how chattel slavery was legally defined and expanded in the Chesapeake.

Key Concept

Hereditary Chattel Slavery
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Topics

Development of Chattel Slavery

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