OppressionJuly 9, 1640

John Punch sentenced to lifetime servitude

A Virginia court sentences John Punch to servitude for life — an early legal step toward race-based slavery.

Resources

The court ruling sentencing John Punch to lifetime servitude.

Connections to other moments, systems, and investigations — the links rarely drawn together.

led to·Event
Virginia makes slavery hereditary
Punch's lifetime sentence in 1640 foreshadowed the 1662 law making slavery hereditary through the mother.

Punch's lifetime sentence in 1640 foreshadowed the 1662 law making slavery hereditary through the mother.