The first Africans had been brought to Virginia as slaves in 1619 but it wasn’t until the 1670s that slavery began to dominate parts of the American economy. That process continued apace in the 18th century transforming every aspect of most southern colonies, from Virginia to South Carolina and Georgia. How did American law transform to codify and entrench race slavery in America in this period? How did plantation owners enforce submission and compliance and impose their will on a black, enslaved underclass? How did they work to try to prevent widespread resistance and what ways did enslaved men and women find to fight back to preserve their dignity and culture, or perhaps even to escape or revolt?
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