Slave Owners Feared Baptism Would Make Slaves Free

Legislation was passed in several colonies, beginning in 1667 in Virginia, stipulating that baptism would not change slaves’ legal status.

This led to an increase in missionary activities to slaves because conversion did not imply emancipation. Short lived do to slave revolts.

Slave owners regarded the substantial time required for religious instruction as uneconomical

Slave owners argued that slaves were intellectually incapable of understanding the subtleties of Christian doctrine

Slave owners were uncomfortable with the concept of spiritual equality between master and slave

Spiritual equality would call into question the enslavement of fellow Christians

Slave owners feared that conversion would make slaves more difficult to control and perhaps precipitate insurrection

Some missionaries attempted to counter this fear by arguing that conversion would make slaves more docile and industrious. This was short lived after the enslaved revolts.

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