prep note 10/3

Chapter 4-6 mainly talks about the history of the class system and slavery in Richmond. The prosperity of the tobacco industry had a decisive impact on the social development of the colony, with the emergence of “old planters” and the birth of private economy. The high price of tobacco caused England to keep importing laborers, and these slaves had a high mortality rate. By 1660, Virginia’s population was divided into six distinct social and economy class. In the 1675 conflict between English settlers and the Indians, Bacon promised freedom to an army about 800 black and white. Bacon’s rebellion reveals a continued racism of all classes against the Indians, combined with a rapidly closing gap between disenfranchised whites and blacks. From 1680 to 1700, Virginia’s switch to African slave labor occurred quickly and decisively. After 1669, the act about casual killing of slaves was published and punishments to slaves became harsher. The author highlights the long-lasting effects of the history of slavery on African Americans and their struggle for freedom and equality.