AP African American Studies Flashcards: Slavery and American Law: Slave Codes and Landmark Cases
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 19 cards to help you master important concepts.
Which two groups were classified as 'nonsubjects' and presumed enslaved by the 1740 South Carolina slave code?
The code classified all Black people and the Indigenous communities that did not submit to the colonial government as nonsubjects and presumed enslaved.
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Which two groups were classified as 'nonsubjects' and presumed enslaved by the 1740 South Carolina slave code?
The code classified all Black people and the Indigenous communities that did not submit to the colonial government as nonsubjects and presumed enslaved.
How did South Carolina's 1740 slave code legally classify Black people?
The code classified all Black people as nonsubjects and presumed them to be enslaved.
What were slave codes?
Slave codes were laws that defined chattel slavery as a race-based, inheritable, lifelong condition and placed numerous restrictions on the lives of enslaved people.
When did the word 'slavery' first appear in the U.S. Constitution?
The terms 'slave' or 'slavery' first appeared in the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which officially abolished the practice.
Provide two examples of restrictions placed on free African Americans in northern 'free' states.
Some free states barred the entry of free Black people, while others like New York enacted restrictions to keep free Black men from voting or, like Ohio, from testifying against white people in court.
What specific event led to the creation of South Carolina's strict 1740 slave code?
South Carolina's 1740 slave code was an updated response to the resistance of enslaved people during the Stono Rebellion of 1739.
What was the legal status of an enslaved person who tried to defend themselves from a white person's attack under South Carolina's 1740 code?
Under this code, any enslaved person who tried to defend themselves from attack by a white person was condemned to death.
Before the 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870, which two states mentioned in the text had granted Black men the right to vote?
Before 1870, only Wisconsin and Iowa had given Black men the right to vote.
List three types of restrictions commonly found in slave codes.
Common restrictions included those on movement, congregation, possessing weapons, and wearing fine fabrics.
What was the combined effect of legal codes and landmark court cases on African Americans' status?
Legal codes and landmark cases like Dred Scott intertwined to define the status of African Americans by consistently denying them citizenship rights and protections.
What was the primary motivation for the development and updating of slave codes?
Slave codes were developed and updated in response to African Americans’ resistance to slavery, such as rebellions and escape attempts.
What legal presumption was made about Black people under South Carolina's 1740 slave code?
The code established a legal presumption that all Black people were enslaved.
How did slave codes and other laws 'harden the color line' in America?
These laws hardened the color line by reserving opportunities for upward mobility and legal protections for white people while denying them to Black people based on race.
What is chattel slavery, as defined by American slave codes?
Chattel slavery was defined as a race-based, inheritable, and lifelong condition where enslaved people were considered property.
List three activities specifically prohibited for enslaved people by the South Carolina 1740 slave code.
The code prohibited enslaved people from gathering, drumming, learning to read, rebelling, running away, or moving abroad.
What was the Supreme Court's ruling in the Dred Scott case (1857)?
The Supreme Court ruled that African Americans, whether enslaved or free, were not and could never become citizens of the United States.
Name two examples of slave codes that existed outside of the British American colonies.
The Code Noir in French colonies and the Código Negro in Spanish colonies were similar legal frameworks that regulated slavery.
How did the original U.S. Constitution address slavery?
Article I and Article IV of the Constitution referred to slavery but deliberately avoided using the terms 'slave' or 'slavery'.
How did American law affect the citizenship rights of African Americans between the 17th and 19th centuries?
American law consistently denied citizenship rights to both enslaved and free African Americans, culminating in the Dred Scott Supreme Court decision.