Slave Codes In The Slave

The Virginia Slave Codes date all the way to early 1600s. During the 17th century, indentured servants, who decided to work for an affirmed amount of time in replace for their means of access to the "New World", were a handy resource of manual labor for the American colonies. Both blacks and whites served under the system (Goldenburg 1). White servants, after working out their time of agreement, often progressed to appreciated places in the society. On the other hand, their black correspondents, who totaled to about 2,000 in Virginia in 1670, were rarely given the same treatment. By the middle of the century, they were usually regarded as servants for life. In the late 1650s, laws referring to slaves started to

Music was tied to the black identity because of the historical significance that songs had. Slaves had not lost their interest in music when the owners forced them to work on plantations, and their songs were one of the few things that slave owners could not take away from them. [!crendentials] Eileen Southern discussed how slaves were part of the musical tradition even during the colonial era. Slaves sang their own music for recreation, but they also sang psalms and hymns from the Bible and performed for their masters. While living in captivity, music was one of the few areas of life in which slaves had autonomy. In addition to having group time away from their physical tasks, the structure of the songs allowed for more bonding because of

While work songs dealt only with their daily life, spirituals were inspired by the message of Jesus Christ and his Good News (Gospel) of the Bible, “You can be saved”. They are different from hymns and psalms, because they were a way of sharing the hard condition of being a slave. Many slaves in town and in plantations tried to run to a “free country”, that they called “my home” or “Sweet Canaan, the Promised Land”. This country was on the Northern side of Ohio River, that they called “Jordan”. Some negro spirituals refer to the Underground Railroad, an organization for helping slaves to run away.

Slave codes as described on the book page 84 are series of laws passed mainly in the southern colonies in late 17th and early 18th centuries to defend the status of slaves and codify the denial of basic civil rights to them. Slave codes had a lot of loopholes one of the rules it did not permit was for slaves to get married because that meant the owner of the salve could not do as he wished. South Carolina took its slave code in effect in1712, these laws were then revised in 1739. Some of these slaves codes said slaves were not allowed to leave the owner's property unless they had permission to do so or were in company of a white person not necessarily did it have to be the owner. Any slave that tried to run away and/or leave the colony received

In particular, Slave codes were state laws established to determine the status of slaves and the rights of the owners. These are bad in the case of blacks being defined as property and not being able to do things of free-will. In the text of Alabama Laws Governing Slaves, it states that, "(9) Riots, rowdy gatherings, unlawful assemblies, trespasses and seditious speeches be slaves will be punished with a whipping authorized by a justice of the peace." From this quote you can take away that, any blacks suspected of any of the stated above can will be punished." This quote shows importance because even if a black didn't do anything wrong, a slave master can still accuse a slave of doing some sort of rebellious act and the justice of the peace would have to take word of the slave master because

The slave era brought together many African Americans who were from all different backgrounds and spoke different languages so when they were forced to work together in the plantations it was as if, they had a common communication by singing the slave shouts together. Slaves were not always allowed to speak however, they could sing and together this was harmony that is found in jazz and Spirituals. The oppression from the slave shouts transferred over to the early blues and Spirituals. The rhythm is also heard from early on in the slave shouts. In the slave era when they were slave shouting or ring shouts singing together there was a rhythm they had going or a pulse you could hear with their signing. It was an amazing way of communication

A spiritual journey dominates these songs, but the concern for physical freedom is there as well. The most pervasive image in the spirituals is that of the chosen people for the slaves believed that they had been chosen by God just as the Israelites had. They also believed that they understood better than anyone what freedom truly meant in both a spiritual and physical sense. The Old Testament characters that the slaves referred to in their songs experienced deliverance by God. The slaves believed that the same God that had granted them spiritual freedom would someday loose the chains of slavery. The wonderful flexibility of the spirituals allowed for that double meaning of freedom. For example, Frederick Douglass claimed that the line” I am bound for Canaan” in one of the songs he frequently sang meant that he was going North, not just that he would experience the freedom of the promised land in a spiritual sense. The flexibility and multiplicity of meanings also allowed for slaves to use these sacred songs as secret communication. Some songs, such as “Steal Away to Jesus,” were used to call a secret meeting where the people could worship without the supervision of the whites. Other songs, such as “Wade in the Water” served as coded directions for runaway slaves. With the eventual emancipation of the slaves, religious music of African Americans became prominently

Plantation owners thought that this extreme discipline would make the slaves too scared to rebel. In South Carolina it was said that "a slave owner would put nails in a barrel sticking out on the inside of the barrel, then put the slave in and roll him/her down a very long and steep hill. Another punishment slave owners used was to whip their slaves. Other slave owners in Virginia smoked their slaves. This involved whipping them and putting them in a tobacco smokehouse".("life of a slave" thinkquest) Other punishments were getting beaten with various objects such as a chair, broom, tongs, shovel, shears, knife handles, the heavy end of a woman’s shoe, and an oak club.("life of a slave" thinkquest) Although slaves lived terrible lives, they found hope in religion. Many converted to Christianity which did not please many whites.

Slaves had believed in the spirits to the let slaves secretly communicate with each other; the

Since slaves couldn’t read or write, slave quilts were made with different patterns to convey different messages to slaves. “Codes were created by both whites aiding the slaves, and by blacks aiding the slaves” (owensound,1). The most common slave codes include: “Monkey’s Wrench”, “Star”, “Crossroads”, and “Wagon Wheel”. The “Bow Tie” pattern was created back when the early Americans were settling into the West. The “Bow Tie” pattern may also be called “Necktie” or “Hourglass”. This pattern was used to indicate that “it was necessary to travel in disguise or to change from the clothing of a slave to those of a person of higher status” (owensound,1). In other words, the slave pattern “Bow Tie” was used to tell slaves to dress into different

The songs were developed to reduce the level of boredom and increase production, these songs created a sense of familiarity and togetherness among workers. The African American work songs were created during the slave era in the seventeenth century; many had their origin in traditions of Africa and were sung to remind them of home or ordered by their masters to boost morale and keep slaves working. They have also been seen as means of endurance, expressing of anger and frustration via verbal signals. Some aspects like call and response were said to be rooted in African tradition, where a leader could sing a verse and be repeated by the greater mass. This eventually led to spirituality development which acted as a basis for Christianity leading to modern day gospels and blues.

By this stage, slave owners had begun to realise that the only way to control slaves was by using violence and threats. A new culture had been introduced: one of black inferiority and white superiority. Many white plantation owners used extreme violence to make their slaves work, as they had no other means with which to control them. They could not reward the slaves by decreasing their length of servitude; the slaves were used for life, and their monetary value was too great for the plantation owners to reprieve them. However, sometimes the violence became so extreme that the slaves died, which decreased the plantation's profit. This use of violence extended to rape of black women and children, mutilation and branding. Rape of slaves produced an inter-race community, although this was violently unstable due to the racial and social discrimination present at that time. The plantation masters branded their slaves so that if they escaped, they would have a mark to show they were fugitive slaves. Families were often split up, to weaken the individual's spirit, and thus their confidence and urge to rebel decreased. The slave owner's greatest fear was of the slaves rebelling, so this method of weakening their reserves of energy and will was found to be effective. The plantation

The early vernacular traditions didn’t only consist of religious, spiritual, and sacred practices, but there were secular forms of acts that existed in their lives. The early African Americans composed many superb narrative rhymes that really influenced the culture today. They could also be known as poets, and these writers created a foundation for the modern day artists. The different stories and tales that these passages were describing, had a strong impact on the blues, which is a part of the secular songs. Rap, a modern day form of rhyming music, has been influence greatly by the earlier secular songs and stories that the African Americans practiced. These songs started out as humor for the African Americans, and then sporadically evolved into sex, violence, and drugs over the past century. The children’s games song also has special meaning to them when they are used. The little messages that are implanted in these songs really try to impact a message to the listener. The different songs also portrayed the ongoing violence and abuse that is present in the American society. The hardworking slaves also had a series of songs that they sang, in order to express their hardships and perseverance in the work

One of the most prominent forms of music that was incorporated by slaves in their daily lives was religious music. Another one of the most influential forms of musical expression among the slaves were slave songs, and these were songs of sorrow and misery. Some slave songs were joyful and cheerful, but others were sorrowful but were all deeply expressive. These songs were used by slaves as a means of communicating their true feelings and emotions, due to the brutal and repressive society that they resided in.

The Slave Escape is a game made from the concept of a slaves trying to escape their plantations they’ve been held in and go to freedom, The Norther State, but the path is not easy. Players will be hunted by other players who play owners, The Hunters, of the slaves. This game is filled with twist turns for players while also learning a few fun facts about slavery and the birth of African-American culture.