it seperated the races, treating nonwhites as less than whites
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Virginia law supported slavery by enacting various laws that defined slaves as property rather than people, making it legal to buy, sell, and own individuals as slaves. Laws also restricted the rights and freedoms of slaves, denying them the ability to marry, own property, or participate in society as free individuals. Additionally, Virginia law imposed harsh punishments on slaves who attempted to escape or rebel against their owners, ensuring that the institution of slavery remained intact.
The Virginia law supported slavery by legalizing the institution and providing protections for slave owners, while restricting the rights and freedoms of enslaved individuals. This was done through laws that defined enslaved people as property, denied them basic human rights, and enforced punishments for any attempts to resist or escape enslavement.
By Virginia law, the child of a slave woman and a free man was considered a slave, following the principle of partus sequitur ventrem, which meant that the status of a child followed that of the mother. This law helped perpetuate and institutionalize slavery in Virginia, as the child would inherit the enslaved status of their mother regardless of the father's status.
Massachusetts Bay Colony passed the first anti-slavery law in America in 1641. This law made slavery illegal for those who converted to Christianity.
The slavery law passed in 1850 was called the Fugitive Slave Act. It required that escaped slaves be returned to their owners, even if they were found in free states.
An American state where slavery was not allowed by law was called a "free state." These states did not permit the practice of slavery within their boundaries, in contrast to states where slavery was legal.