Question
Why were the Africans who came to Jamestown to work the tobacco fields freed once they worked off their purchase price?
Answers
GPT 3.5
The Africans who came to Jamestown to work in the tobacco fields were freed once they worked off their purchase price due to a legal distinction made in the colony of Virginia known as the "Virginia Slave Law of 1670".
Under this law, the colonial assembly made a distinction between white indentured servants and enslaved Africans. White indentured servants signed contracts known as indentures, binding them to work for a specific number of years to pay off their debts or as a form of punishment. Once their indenture period was completed, they were entitled to their freedom and could potentially become land-owning citizens.
On the other hand, this law established that enslaved Africans were considered property for life, and their children would also be born into slavery. However, the law also provided provisions for some enslaved Africans to gain their freedom.
Enslaved Africans who could accumulate enough money to purchase their own freedom, or who were able to secure their freedom through other means, were allowed to be legally freed under this law. This particular provision served as an avenue for enslaved Africans to earn their freedom, albeit within an inherently unequal and oppressive system.
It is important to note that while some Africans gained their freedom after working off their purchase price, the vast majority remained enslaved throughout their lives and subsequent generations. The arrival of these Africans in Jamestown laid the foundation for the institution of slavery, which would persist and significantly impact American society for centuries to come.
Under this law, the colonial assembly made a distinction between white indentured servants and enslaved Africans. White indentured servants signed contracts known as indentures, binding them to work for a specific number of years to pay off their debts or as a form of punishment. Once their indenture period was completed, they were entitled to their freedom and could potentially become land-owning citizens.
On the other hand, this law established that enslaved Africans were considered property for life, and their children would also be born into slavery. However, the law also provided provisions for some enslaved Africans to gain their freedom.
Enslaved Africans who could accumulate enough money to purchase their own freedom, or who were able to secure their freedom through other means, were allowed to be legally freed under this law. This particular provision served as an avenue for enslaved Africans to earn their freedom, albeit within an inherently unequal and oppressive system.
It is important to note that while some Africans gained their freedom after working off their purchase price, the vast majority remained enslaved throughout their lives and subsequent generations. The arrival of these Africans in Jamestown laid the foundation for the institution of slavery, which would persist and significantly impact American society for centuries to come.