But Bacon's Revolution played a huge role in the process of the developing slave codes.

In early 17th century, indentured servants were very common, and slaves were not all that indifferent in many ways. They were thought of more as humans. Interacial sex was not that big a deal, in that both white and blacks were punished more or less equally and equal to non-interracial sex.

The earliest court records of the Eastern Shore Counties are preserved as their court houses did not burn during the Civil War so they offer a unique insight into the trials, both criminal and civil.

I forget the name of the case, but there was an interesting case around 1640, in which two indentured servants, a white and a black ran away. They were caught, and the white was punished for 7 more years of indenture, and the black was punished for life indenture. It is one of the earliest cases of blatant racial discrimination. The Africans were really seen more as human than property, unlike what would come later.

The slave codes really were driven by several factors. One was the constant need for cheap labor that the tobacco economy demanded. The other was the constant fear of slave rebellion. This led to laws such as prohibiting gun ownership. Really the Virginia slave codes evolved from 1650ish to the mid-1700's, when tobacco reigned.