Crash Course Black American History: Lecture on Slave Codes

Introduction

• Presenter: Clint Smith
• Topic: Ways societies restrict people's movement with a focus on slave codes.
• Analogy: Compares modern restrictions (gates, fences, traffic cones) to historical restrictions like slave codes.

Slave Codes

• Definition: Laws and policies from the colonial period designed to control Black people, both enslaved and free.
  • Not simply workers; treated as an underclass.
  • Legally and economically driven.
• Purpose: To legally reinforce racial hierarchy and protect enslavers' investments by controlling every aspect of Black Americans' lives.

Historical Context

• Virginia: First colony to implement large-scale slave codes.
  • 1662 law determining status of children based on mother's status (partus sequitur ventrem).
  • 1705 "An Act Concerning Servants and Slaves" regulated behavior and restricted freedoms further.

Specific Examples

• Virginia
  • Restricted interracial relations and testimonies against whites.
  • Banned Black ownership of white servants and weapons.
• Maryland
  • Christians in servitude remained enslaved regardless of conversion.
• South Carolina
  • Society structured around slave codes restricting trade, movement, and use of certain instruments.
• New York
  • 1702 code banned trade with enslaved individuals and prohibited gatherings.
• Rhode Island
  • Curfew for enslaved people.
• Pennsylvania
  • Unequal punishment for crimes based on race.

Impact and Legacy

• Colonial governments created racism-based laws to demarcate rights based on race.
• Contradiction: White colonists' demand for freedom vs. denial of freedom for Black people.
• Ongoing Issues: Racial disparities in modern legal systems, impacting jobs, housing, and more.

Resistance and Conclusion

• Black Americans historically resisted and pushed back against these laws.
• Future discussions will explore how Black people fought against injustices.