Slave Codes were originally written to define the nature
of slavery and which persons should/could be held in slavery. Early slave codes
determined that a newborn child was either slave or free dependent on the condition of
the mother; if she were free, so was the child and vice versa. Other codes provided that
Christians at the time of their arrival could not be
slaves.
Restrictive slave codes came into being after the
slave revolt in Santo Domingue (present day Haiti), the only successful slave revolt in
North America; and the Stono Rebellion in South Carolina which was inspired by events in
Haiti. Both events sent fear through the white communities in the colonies, particularly
South Carolina which had a black majority. Although armed rebellion was always a great
fear, a greater fear (and more successful method of revolt) was poisoning the master.
Slaves' knowledge of the forests, roots, berries, etc., made this a particularly deadly
method of revenge.
Colonial slave codes prevented slaves
from learning to read or write, and provided punishment to the master or other person
who violated the code. Any slave who struck his master and drew blood would be put to
death. Any slave who taught another to read or write was lashed. Finally, any master who
killed his slave was presumed guilty of no crime, because no man would willingly destroy
his own property, so it must have been an accident. The link below offers more specific
detail on specific slave codes.
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