Virginia State Capitol, Richmond. 1830 watercolor by William Goodacre
Laws Passed
After the revolt in Southampton, communities and state legislatures across the South considered the implementation of new, harsher restrictions against enslaved and free African Americans. Citizens often petitioned the lawmaking bodies as they debated revisions of existing black codes. Some petitioners argued for the necessity of more stringent laws; others protested the move toward greater restrictions of free and enslaved black residents. In the months following the rebellion, revised slave codes were passed in numerous southern states, including Virginia.
Virginia
Richmond Enquirer, October 7, 1831: Patrol Law in Fauquier County
Governor John Floyd to Governor John Hamilton, November 19, 1831
Proposed Black Codes Debated, 1831-32
Autobiography of James L. Smith, 1881: Forbidding religious meetings
North Carolina
An Act Concerning Slaves and Free Persons of Color, 1831-32
Alabama
Louisiana
Richmond Enquirer, November 30, 1831: Prohibiting introduction of slaves