Reference no: EM133204378 , Length: 3 Pages

Virginia slave code

1. The five most significant prohibitions enacted by the plantation owners/House of Burgesses in the 1705 Slave Code include prohibitions 4, 19, 23, 34, 36. I chose these five prohibitions because they were incremental to the continuation of slavery and helped build a division between white and black people. These laws also increased the amount of people who could be obtained as slaves, such as article 4 states that if you were brought to the land and were not a Christian you could be enslaved.

2. The planter class was attempting to control the behavior of slaves and servants in their day to day lives. They tried to prevent slaves from running, fighting, or rebelling. They also tried to prevent the intermingling of servants and slaves with middle class European citizens. All actions wanted by anyone who was serving the planter class were controlled subsequently by the Slave Codes.

3. The codes were mainly directed at newcomers to the land. Any person who was not native to Virginia or were brought over by Europeans is who the codes were written for. Any person who was captured or put into servitude also was a directed person for the codes because it was written to keep them as servants or slaves.

4. These laws were passed because it kept people in a lower class and allowed many members of the planter class to use them for economic gain. The laws also dehumanized slaves and servants and kept them separated from the richer classes. This allowed the richer class to gain power over newcomers, slaves and servants and control society and the economy for their benefit.