149k views
2 votes
What was the status of enslaved people according to colonial law? How did people cope with being enslaved?

User Xjtian
by
8.0k points

1 Answer

3 votes

Answer:

They were not allowed to testify unless it was against another enslaved person or a free black person. They could not enter into contracts, nor could they own property; they were not allowed to leave their owner's property without express permission.

Step-by-step explanation:

As the institution of American slavery grew increasingly forceful, the enslaved resisted its grip by appealing to the law, escaping, and even by committing extreme acts. As enslaved people became more and more in demand in the South, the slave trade that spanned from Africa to the colonies became a source of economic wealth as well. Working long hours, living in crude conditions, and suffering abuses from their owners, African captives faced harsh conditions in colonial America. Slaves resisted their treatment in innumerable ways. They slowed down their work pace, disabled machinery, feigned sickness, and destroyed crops. They argued and fought with their masters and overseers. Many stole livestock, other food, or valuables.

User John Rice
by
8.4k points