Slavery In Virginia

There were questions that arose about slavery in Virginia. When it come to race and class, your race basically defined your social class. Although there were poor whites, they still stood above wealthy blacks and there were blacks who did succeed to get out the slave trade. They were able to succeed under white power , for example a black may have had a chance to become a doctor because his owner's mother was dying and the black man just so happened to say something that possibly helped save this woman's life so now he is the family medic. Sometimes you are just in the right place at the right time. Centuries before the voyages of Columbus, Spain had made many laws granted to slaves relating to marriage, the holding of property and access
to freedom, but that all changed.(pg 82) In the 1700’s the House of Burgesses enacted a new slave code. Slaves became property. According to the document some laws were made to protect slaves and servants like law VII: masters and owners must provide a good diet and clothes and a home to live in or law XI: that singled out Christians , Christian’s were not allowed to own other Christian slaves except of there own complexion or the fact law I: That all servants brought into this country without debt, which says if servants are known to be Christians above nineteen hall serve five years and if under nineteen then till twenty-four years of age and no longer. Like In the 1600’s the first Africans, arrived in Virginia. Even though when the blacks arrived there were most definitely treated like slaves there was at least some leeway that when you serve a term you were free. “In the 1620’s Virginia and Maryland, freed blacks could testify in court, and withhold land, also purchase white servants or african slaves”.(pg 83)

Slavery has existed for a span of a long time, it was something that was based agricultural that brought many workers together under a single owner.
The beginning of the New World, slavery has always been about the race and from then became a permanent line between whites and blacks. Colonist view slaves as outsiders, a work force, or like machinery. In the seventeenth century, the concepts of race and racism had not developed, “Africans were known as alien in there color, religion, and social practices”. (pg 80 & 81) The spread of tobacco led Chesapeake planters to turn to slaves. “Colonist believed that their skin made it more difficult for them to escape into the surrounding society”. (pg.80) They also believed African men unlike native americans they were immune to the environment of the labor work because they have encountered many diseases in Europe.Not only did colonist view slaves as property and could handle surroundings. Virginia was a successful colony on the 1600’s . By the mid-eighteenth century there was three main distinct slave systems but tobacco-based plantation slavery in the Chesapeake region was most popular, they relied on tobacco and used African labor in addition to white bonded servants. Virginia had a code for slavery using the slave code ,which meant that slaves were personal possessions. Just like I said in my response with the laws , there had to be laws made when questions arose about what rights slaves had and what they were able to do. There was also a rise of Chesapeake Slavery that brought to the attention of blacks that in 1667 they declared Christians were allowed to own Christian slaves and blacks weren’t accepting that rule. From the start of American slavery , blacks ran away and desired freedom because they didn’t fully agree with the laws the settlers made.Settlers were aware the desire the Blacks had for freedom but could not have slaves go against their
rules.