...slavery was not Virginia, but Massachusetts. In 1641 its Body of Liberties provided, ironically, that "lawful captives taken in just wars, and such strangers as willingly sell themselves or are sold to us"8 might be made slaves. The use of the word "strangers," however, was ambiguous. It seemed to exclude...

...somewhat ambiguously that slavery was illegal "unless it be lawful! Captives taken in just warres, and such strangers as willingly sell themselves or are sold to us"; the amended text of 1670 no longer mentioned a foreign origin, and thus legalized hereditary servitude....

...any bond slavery, villinage or captivity among us, unless it be lawful captives taken in just war, and such" strangers as willingly' sell themselves or are sold to us. And these shall have all the liberties and Christian usages which the law of God, established in Israel,...

...wars or sold to them by others. There shall never be any bond slavery, villenage, or captivity among us unless it be lawful captives taken in just wars,...strangers as willingly sell themselves or are sold to us. And these shall have all the liberties and Christian usages which the law of God, established in Israel...

...there shall never be any Bond-slavery, Villenage or Captivity amongst us, unless it be lawful Captives in Just Wars, (and such strangers) as willingly sell themselves or are sold to us, and such shall have the liberties and Christian usage which the Law of God established in Israel concerning...

...Manstealing was deemed a capital offense, and bond slavery, villenage, or captivity were forbidden, "unless it be lawful captives taken in just wars,...strangers as willingly sell themselves, or are sold to us."H Yet within a few months after the code's adoption the number of Indian and black slaves had increased...

...in 1641, for example, made a Delphic statement: "There shall never be any Bond-Slavery, Villeinage, or Captivity amongst us, unless it be lawful captives...strangers as willingly sell themselves or are sold to us ... provided this exempts none from servitude who shall be judged thereto by authority."12* But, of...

...Colonial New England, 167-68. The Massachusetts "Body of Liberties" of 1641 made legal the enslavement of "captives taken in just wars, and such strangers as willingly sell themselves or are sold to us." Edgar J. McManus, Black Bondage in the North (Syracuse, 1973), 59. On Mande beliefs, see Bird and Kendall,...

...Massachusetts. the Body of Liberties of 1641. declared that "There shall never be any bond slavery. villeinage. or captivity amongst us unless it be lawful captives...strangers as willingly sell themselves or are sold to us."m2 Obviously the "strangers" included blacks. Yet how about the white captives "taken in just wars"?...

...first apparently attacked this idea by enacting in 1641 that slavery should be confined to captives in just wars "and such strangers as willingly sell themselves or are sold to us," meaning by "strangers" apparently heathen, but saying nothing as to the effect of conversion. Gmnecticut...