Answer:
An Act for Suppressing Outlying Slaves" was a slave code passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 1691 that aimed to regulate the behavior of enslaved people in the colony. The primary motivations behind the creation of slave codes were economic and social.
Economically, enslaved people were a valuable commodity for plantation owners and other landowners in the colony. They provided free labor and were essential to the success of the tobacco and other agricultural industries. Slave codes were designed to protect the economic interests of slaveowners by regulating the behavior of enslaved people and preventing them from running away or engaging in other behaviors that might harm their owners' profits.
Socially, slave codes were created to maintain the social order of the colony and prevent enslaved people from challenging the power of their owners. The colonial elite saw enslaved people as a potential threat to social stability, and slave codes were designed to prevent enslaved people from organizing, rebelling, or otherwise challenging the social hierarchy.
The Act for Suppressing Outlying Slaves provides evidence of the creation of a race-based class society in the colony in several ways. First, the act explicitly targets enslaved people of African descent, demonstrating that race was a key factor in determining who was subject to the provisions of the law. This demonstrates that race was used as a tool to create a distinct social class of enslaved people who were subject to different laws and regulations than white people.
Second, the act establishes a system of surveillance and control over enslaved people, demonstrating the power dynamic between slaveowners and enslaved people. The act requires enslaved people to carry passes and gives anyone the right to capture and return enslaved people who are found outside of their owner's property. This system of control reinforces the power dynamic between slaveowners and enslaved people and reinforces the idea that enslaved people are property rather than human beings.
Overall, the Act for Suppressing Outlying Slaves provides evidence of the creation of a race-based class society in the colony by demonstrating the ways in which race was used to create a distinct social class of enslaved people and establish a power dynamic between slaveowners and enslaved people.
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