The Slave Code Of 1705 And The Declaration Of Independence

The colonies of British North America were a very unequal place in which different classes and races were treated very differently. Despite this, ideas of freedom still developed because the colonists believed that they were being treated unfairly by the British parliament. Two documents that convey that these ideas of freedom were able to develop in a place where the citizens were not treated equally are the â€Å"Virginia Slave Code of 1705† and â€Å"The Declaration of Independence†. The â€Å"Virginia Slave Code of 1705† is a document that rewards white and christian slave owners and punishes any person who is non-white or non-christian. One part of the code states that â€Å"...all servants imported and brought into this country, by sea or land, who were not christians in their native country, shall be accounted and be slave, and as such be here bought and sold notwithtanding a conversion to christianity afterwards†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (â€Å"Virginia Slave Code of 1705†). This would make any non-christian person who was brought into the colony of Virginia a slave. So ideas of religious freedom are nonexistent in the colony and immediately a sense of power was given to christians because christianity was the only religion that was acceptable in the colony. Another section of the code says that â€Å"...That no negros, mulattos, or Indians, although christians, or Jews, Moors, Mahometans, or other infidels, shall, at any time, purchase any christian servant, nor any other, except of their own complexion, or such asShow MoreRelatedVirginia Slave Codes1123 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Virginia Slave Codes The Virginia Slave Codes date all the way to early 1600s. During the 17th century, indentured servants, who decided to work for an affirmed amount of time in replace for their means of access to the New World, were a handy resource of manual labor for the American colonies. Both blacks and whites served under the system (Goldenburg 1). White servants, after working out their time of agreement, often progressed to appreciated places in the society. On the other hand, theirRead MoreSlavery Effects on North America3953 Words   |  16 PagesUnited States from the moment the declaration of independence was signed. It s presence during this critical time period of development in the United States, from the day the United States was founded and beforehand allowed for it to interweave itself in almost all aspects of America; primarily economically, politically, and socially. Slavery impacted America in numerous ways, from the political balancing act of free and slave states, to the growt h of the southern slave centered economy, slaveries presenceRead MoreThe Atlantic Slave Trade ( 1441 A.d )3992 Words   |  16 PagesAtlantic slave trade (1441 A.D.) refers to the transportation of black Africans from their homelands to the New World (James 1). It is estimated that all together approximately 12 million Africans were transported by force from Africa to the Americas (James 1-4). Even though many people pointed out the immorality and the cruelty of slavery, very few could afford to renounce it as a social institution. Slavery was an inseparable part of 17th-18th century world economy (James 1-4). The Atlantic slave tradeRead More Inequality for all2700 Words   |  11 Pagesand feared rebellion. Slave labor was instituted as the new labor system because of the low cost to maintain African slaves. In 1705, the Virginia Slave codes were implemented to confirm slavery as an institution (Public Broadcast Service, 2011). This act by government has sealed the fate of Afric an American’s. Under the slave codes, slaves and their offspring were property, they had no rights, and no punishment was given to slave owners who physically harmed or killed slaves that were rebelliousRead MoreWhiteness as a Field of Study2712 Words   |  11 Pagessearch of the white whale, the American politico-legal system disregarded its basic principles, such as the ones reflected in the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution, in the mad search for the national fantasy of a â€Å"White Republic.† David R. Roediger argues that the genesis of this national fantasy was the necessity to separate the slave-owners from their slaves, making slavery more palatable to the freedom loving Americans. Despite the symbolical importance of racial definitions theRead MoreMy Phone Thesis16066 Words   |  65 Pageswas not a single Arawak on the island. However in 1656, an Amerindian raid from one of the neighbouring islands wiped out their settlement. The raiders â€Å"killed almost all the men, plundered and burnt the houses, but kept the women and children for slaves.† Further havoc occurred in 1666 when a French expedition consisting of 300 men attacked the island, terrorized the people and caused them to flee to the woods. Conditions in Anguilla in the latter part of the seventeenth century were extremely