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Slave State vs Free States
Slave ownership was legalized in both the North and South, but it was the South that had the most to gain. The South's economic strength was the farming industry. Therefore, to meet the demand for raw materials such as tobacco, rice, indigo, cotton and other goods they need more slaves than the Northern colonies. -
The Virginia Assembly
Twenty-nine years after Bacon's Rebellion, the Virginia General Assembly met and created what are known as black codes. These codes laid out laws that legalized racial slavery and protected slave owners. There was a clear distinction between slaves and indentured servants. Slaves became the slaveholder's property for life, and anything the slave owner did in regards to his slave was considered justified by law. These actions range from working and disciplining them the way they saw fit. -
Pennsylvania prohibits slavery
Slavery existed throughout the thirteen colonies. The fundamentals of their labor system in northern colonies differed from that of the southern colonies. They believed that everyone was supposed to work hard, yet many of the northerners owned slaves. Some were slave owners turned abolitionist like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. In 1711, Pennsylvania prohibited slavery, but Queen Anne did not ratify it into a law. -
Benjamin Bannaker
Although colonial America was far into what would become one of the darkest moments in American history, there were major contributions made by a plethora of African Americans in the natural sciences, humanities, and political sciences. Benjamin Banneker, born free near Baltimore, was one of those individuals. A mathematician, author, inventor, and surveyor. He invented a clocked that rung every hour and was part of the survey team that mapped the border of the District of Columbia. -
The Mason Dixon Line is Established
Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon, two accomplished astronomers, were hired to survey the land between Maryland and Pennsylvania. This was to settle a 15-year dispute known as the Chancery Suit between the family of George Calvert(1632) and William Penn, II(1681). Mason and Dixon completed the survey and created the official line that separated the North from the South. -
Crispus Attucks
According to Samuel Adams, Crispus Attucks was not antagonizing the soldiers as the mob advanced on them. Along with the heavy taxes Britain was placing on the colonists, Attuck's death has been viewed to be an act that would eventually lead to America fighting for independence from Britain. Five year after his death, America would enter into the Revolutionary War. -
The Free African Society of Philadelphia
This society was founded on religious beliefs to serve as a organization that provided medical aid and political awareness to the African American community. It also served as a communication hub to contact individuals in the south. Its founders were Reverends Richard Allen and Absalom Jones. This society served as an example for other Pro-African American organizations to follow that focused on the betterment of African Americans. -
Benjamin Banneker (District of Columbia Surveyor)
Benjamin Banneker(he changed the spelling of his name), surveyed the land that would become the capitol of the United States of America. His knowledge of mathematics and astronomy placed a vital role into his successful accomplishment and contribution to American history.
