In the beginning, Black people brought to the colonies mixed more with their white counterparts. They were more like indentured servants than the slaves they were later forced to become. But in 1705, Virginia put into action laws that changed slavery forever, and made it more like the slavery we have come to know and loathe. It basically codified the practice that is now white supremacy. Black people, free or not, were not allowed to own weapons. It also made laws about owning, selling, and re-capture of escaped slaves. It also stated that whites could not be employed by Black people. In addition, it made a separation between indentured servitude and slavery: "All servants imported and brought into the Country...who were not Christians in their native Country...shall be accounted and be slaves." In other words, anyone not from Europe was thereafter considered a slave, regardless of how they had come to the country initially. The law ultimately separated white populations from Black people, regardless of whether they were enslaved or free.
Sources:
- Wikipedia: An act concerning Servants and Slaves
- PBS: Virginia's Slave Codes
- Virginia Enacts Slave Codes
- Slave Laws
- Slavery in Virginia and the 1705 Virginia Slave Act
You should have no doubt how much influence Virginia had in the 13 Colonies, and later in the beginning of the United States. Washington, Jefferson, and Madison were all from Virginia. In fact, four of the first five presidents were Virginian. So to suggest that this was only one state's view tries to explain that influence away. It was real, it was a problem, and we should never forget that or think of Virginia as a "lesser" southern state. It's not, and it never was.
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