Have you checked Janet Duitsman Cornelius's book "When I Can Read My Title Clear: Literacy, Slavery, and Religion in the Antebellum South"? I believe that this book outlines the law in various states. As I remember Cornelius's discussion of this matter, Virginia was one of four southern states that legally limited the instruction of slaves from the 1830s to 1865. The state criminalized assemblies for teaching slaves and teaching slaves for pay. The legislature seems to have left the door open for individual masters to educate their own slaves. I think it's also important to realize that in some cases community pressure and other laws could be used against schools. Free black Christopher McPherson's night school in Richmond was quashed due to a public outcry that led to him being hauled into court for operating a public "nuisance." Gregg Kimball -----Original Message----- From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2001 11:43 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Teaching Slaves To Read A colleague asked me recently when it was that Virginia, either the colony or the Commonwealth, made it "a formal policy to prevent teaching slaves to read." I had thought such a statute was passed in the early 1830s, but I find no evidence to support my impression. I looked in studies of Virginia law and slavery, but did not find an answer to my question. Of course, the statute prescribed punishment for those who taught the slaves; therefore, it might not have been a part of the slave code at all. I hope someone can help. Thanks. James R. Sweeney Department of History Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA 23529 To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html