The Creation of Slavery and Whiteness

American slavery and whiteness were constructed step by step in colonial times. The Virginia colony marked a crucial turning point when it explicitly approved lifelong servitude for African indentured servant John Punch while giving European indentured servants lesser punishments. This divide-and-conquer strategy created a multiclass coalition of white people and intensified the enslavement and oppression of Africans. The construction of whiteness and the enforcement of racial divisions were codified in laws, such as the Virginia Slave Codes, that granted power and advantages to white landowners. The US government, starting with the first national census in 1790, further solidified whiteness by limiting citizenship to Europeans. These historical processes were driven by a desire for power and control, consolidating a system of advantage based on race.