Virginia Slave Codes of 1705

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The Virginia Slave Codes of 1705 (formally entitled An act concerning Servants and Slaves), were a series of laws enacted by the Colony of Virginia's House of Burgesses in 1705 regulating the interactions between slaves and citizens of the crown colony of Virginia. The enactment of the Slave Codes is considered to be the consolidation of slavery in Virginia, and served as the foundation of Virginia's slave legislation. All servants from non-Christian lands became slaves. There were 41 parts of this code, each defining a different part and law surrounding slavery in Virginia. These codes overruled past slave codes and those of any other subject covered by this act. The laws were devised to establish a greater level of control over the rising African slave population of Virginia. It also socially segregated white colonists from Black enslaved persons, making them disparate groups and hindering their ability to unite. Unity among the commoners was a fear of the Virginia aristocracy, who...

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