South Carolina Negro Act of 1740

In response to the Stono Rebellion, South Carolina passed the Negro Act of 1740, one of the most restrictive slave codes in colonial America. It prohibited enslaved people from growing their own food, earning money, learning to read, or assembling in groups. It also imposed a 10-year moratorium on importing enslaved Africans. The Act remained foundational to South Carolina law into the Civil War era.