Here's what I found for the early 19th century:
1805
CHAP. 11.—An ACT further to amend the act, entitled, “An act to reduce into one the several acts concerning slaves, free negroes and mulattoes.”
(Passed January 31, 1805.)
. . .
5. And be it further enacted; That it shall not be lawful for the overseers of the poor, who may hereafter bind out any black or mulatto orphan, to require the master or mistress to teach such orphan reading, writing or arithmetic.
Source: Samuel Shepherd, ed. The Statutes at Large of Virginia, from October session 1792, to December session 1806. 3 vols. Richmond, 1835; reprint New York, 1970, 3: 124.
1819
C. 111—An act reducing into one, the several acts concerning Slaves, Free Negroes and Mulattoes
(Passed March 2, 1819)
[Phrases in single quotation marks (‘) represent amendments to previous acts.]
. . .
15. AND, whereas it is represented to the General Assembly, that it is a common practice, in many places within this Commonwealth, for slaves to assemble in considerable numbers, at meeting-houses, and places of religious worship, in the night, ‘or at schools for teaching them reading or writing,’ which, if not restrained, may be productive of considerable evil to the community;
. . .
BE it therefore enacted, That all meetings or assemblages of slaves, ‘or free negroes or mulattoes mixing and associating ‘with such slaves,’ at any meeting-house or houses, or any other place or places, in the night, ‘or at any school or schools for teaching them reading or writing, either in the day or night,’ under whatsoever pretext, shall be deemed and considered as an unlawful assembly; and any justice of the county or corporation wherein such assemblage shall be, either from his own knowledge, or the information of others, of such unlawful assemblage or meeting, may issue his warrant directed to any sworn officer or officers, authorising him or them to enter the house or houses, where such unlawful assemblages or meetings may be, for the purpose of apprehending or dispersing such slaves, and to inflict corporal punishment on the offender or offenders, at the discretion of any justice of the peace, not exceeding twenty lashes.
. . .
17. If any white person, free negro, mulatto, or Indian, shall, at any time be found in company with slaves at any unlawful meeting, such person, being thereof convicted before any justice of the peace, shall forfeit and pay three dollars for every such offence, to the informer, recoverable with costs, before such justice; or, on failure of present payment, shall receive on his or her bare back, twenty lashes, well laid on, by order of the justice, before whom such conviction shall be.
. . .
Source: Virginia. The Revised Code of the Laws of Virginia: A Collection of all such Acts of the General Assembly Richmond: 1819, 1: 424—5.
1831
[Note: The General Assembly enacted this statute several months before the August 1831 Nat Turner rebellion.]
CHAP. XXXIX.—AN ACT to amend the act concerning slaves, free negroes and mulattoes.
(Passed April 7, 1831.)
4. Be it further enacted, That all meetings of free negroes or mulattoes, at any school-house, church, meeting-house or other place for teaching them reading or writing, either in the day or night, under whatsoever pretext, shall be deemed and considered as an unlawful assembly; and any justice of the county or corporation, wherein such assemblage shall be, either from his own knowledge, or on the information of others, of such unlawful assemblage or meeting, shall issue his warrant, directed to any sworn officer or officers, authorising him or them, to enter the house or houses where such unlawful assemblage or meeting may be, for the purpose of apprehending or dispersing such free negroes or mulattoes, and to inflict corporal punishment on the offender or offenders, at the discretion of any justice of the peace, not exceeding twenty lashes.
5. Be it further enacted, That if any white person or persons assemble with free negroes or mulattoes, at any school-house, church, meeting-house, or other place for the purpose of instructing such free negroes or mulattoes to read or write, such person or persons shall, on conviction thereof, be fined in a sum not exceeding fifty dollars, and moreover may be imprisoned at the discretion of a jury, not exceeding two months.
6. Be it further enacted, That if any white person, for pay or compensation, shall assemble with any slaves for the purpose of teaching, and shall teach any slave to read or write, such person, or any white person or persons contracting with such teacher so to act, who shall offend as aforesaid, shall, for each offence, be fined at the discretion of a jury, in a sum not less than ten, nor exceeding one hundred dollars, to be recovered on an information or indictment.
. . .
8. This act shall be in force from the first day of June next.
Source: Virginia. Acts Passed at a General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia . . . Begun . . . the Sixth Day of December . . . 1830. Richmond: 1831, pp.107—8.
Linda H. Rowe
Historian
Historical Research and Training
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
757-220-7443
-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion of research and writing about Virginia history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Jon Kukla
Sent: Sunday, November 22, 2015 12:36 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VA-HIST] Teaching slaves to read
Legal restrictions or prohibitions against teaching slaves to read are pretty widely mentioned for the antebellum period -- and yet the reports to the Bishop of London or the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, etc., from 18th-century clergymen show that Virginia's Anglican ministers were regularly teaching the Bible and Catechism (as well as administering
communion) to enslaved Virginians -- and presumably many evangelical encouraged biblical literacy as well.
I'm curious about precisely when and how laws and practice changed; I would be grateful either for references to the statutes by which teaching slaves to read came to be illegal, or perhaps reliable scholarship about this. And curious, too, about whether the timing and nature of this change in Virginia law and practice was similar or different from adjacent Southern colonies/states.
Thank you - and Happy Thanksgiving to all (regardless of where the holiday originated).
Jon Kukla
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