H.W. Questions

Today in class we read an analyzed the Alabama Slave Codes of 1833. In the United States Slave Codes existed wherever there was slavery. The purpose of these laws was to both support and regulate the institution of slavery.

The Alabama Slave Codes were passed shortly after a slave uprising that was led by a slave named Nat Turner. Turner's Rebellion sent shockwaves across the South, and left many white planters and farmers traumatized by the thought of a large slave uprising. As a result of this fear, many state legislatures began to strengthen their already slave codes. In 1833, the Alabama State Legislature modified their slave codes by addressing specific features of the Turner Rebellion.

The Slave codes are an excellent example of the racism and cruelty of the slave period as well as the fear and paranoia that slavery helped foster. They also show us that slaves and free blacks were capable of independent action. Without intending it, Alabama’s slave codes testify to the ability of slaves to assert their own humanity and to challenge the system of chattel slavery in large and small ways. BECAUSE some slaves learned how to read and write, southern states made it illegal for whites to teach them those skills. BECAUSE some slaves revolted, southern states made it illegal for them to gather in unsupervised groups. Slave laws actually prove that slaves were capable of doing all sorts of things which no other kind of “property” could possibly do. These codes demonstrate the humanity of the slaves as well as the inhumanity of the slave system.

Homework: Answer Four of the Following Questions.

1 Look at the Alabama Slave Codes, based on the severity of the punishments involved, identify four significant fears you believe white lawmakers had about any or all of the following: the slave system itself, slaves, freed slaves, free persons of color or even certain white people. How would you explain those fears?

2. How did slave owners use religion as a way of controlling their slaves? How did slaves use religion as a way of promoting faith? What religious figure became important to slaves? Why?

3. What types of lessons did slave mothers teach their children? Why were they so important to slave culture?

4. Choose three of the Alabama Slave Codes that are directly connected to Nat Turner's Rebellion. Explain how the laws are connected.

5. What type of clothing were provided to slaves? Why did slaves receive medical care?

6. How many people were killed during the Nat Turner Rebellion? Where did the Rebellion take place? Why was Turner so successful in recruiting and organizing his uprising?