The Path to Slavery

  • Africans in 1619 migrated to Virginia

    • In 1619 twenty Africans migrated to Virginia.
    • The migration of these twenty Africans did not signal the start of mass migration or put an end to Indentured servitude
    *Not all Africans that went to Virginia arrived as slaves
    • While not all Africans that went to Virginia arrived as slaves many were treated as indentured servants or serving someone for a period of time.
    • Once their Indenture was up they were granted the same freedoms the Englishmen had.
  • Laws Restricting Free Blacks

    • From 1640 black men were barred from serving in the militia.
    • Black women were taxed, while their English were not.
  • Laws restricting free blacks

    *By 1664 black men were banned from having ownership over Englsih slaves.
  • Period: to

    Settlers of African Origin

    The arrival of twenty Africans in 1619 did not signal the start of a massive blackmigration to Virginia or put an end to indentured servitude. By the middle of theseventeenth century there were three hundred settlers of African origin. By the end of theseventeenth century that number had grown to over six thousand.
  • Laws restricting Free Blacks

    *By 1660 the status of free Blacks had greatly deteriorated but was better than that of an enslaved Black. *By 1660 white colonist began to remove the few rights granted to Blacks as threats to stability in the commonwealth. the Assembly wrote the institution of Slavery into Virginia Law had accomplished three goals established who was a slave, the master's right over his slave, and authority to maintain discipline amingh the slaves.
  • Period: to

    Laws Created Throughout the 1660s

    The Assembly had formally stripped the Negro of his humanity and reduced him to apiece of property. He had neither a legal personality nor freedom of movement. Thelaws created throughout the 1660s accomplished three goals for the colony. First, theyestablished who was a slave. Second, they established the master’s rights over his slavesand finally they gave the colony authority to maintain discipline among the slaves. Theselaws would be formalized into Virginia’s first slave code,
  • Slavery by Condition of Mother

    In 1662 Virginia law established slavery by the status of the mother, meaning that a child born of a slave was going to stay a slave.
  • No Exemption for Baptism

    Virginia law stated that baptism did not free a slave from slavery, removing another path to freedom by the Assembly.
  • Killing a Slave

    Killing a slave who was disobeying his/her master was not acrime.
  • End of 17th Century

    End of 17th century
  • Slave Code

    The Assembly had formally stripped the Negro of his humanity and reduced him to apiece of property. He had neither a legal personality nor freedom of movement. Thelaws created throughout the 1660s accomplished three goals for the colony. First, theyestablished who was a slave. Second, they established the master’s rights over his slavesand finally they gave the colony authority to maintain discipline among the slaves. Theselaws would be formalized into Virginia’s first slave code.
  • Disenfrachised

    *It was not until 1725 that laws were passed that specificall prohibited to voting to free blacks and no challenge to Black voters has been found in the local records.