In the mid-1600's, the colonies began to pass laws called slave codes, which are codes that prohibit slaves from owning weapons, geting an education, meeting with other blacks without atheir owner's permission, and testifying against any white person in court. Due to racial prejudice, slaves recieved harsher punishments for many crimes than white people who committed the same crime. A master wouldn't be punished as much for killing a slave as he would a free person fro the same reason.
Home PageThe African American Journey: The Slave Trade to Colonial America
World book retrieved April 8, 2000 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.worldbook.com/fun/aajourny.html/bh111/htmlImage by Tom Feelings
