Virginia Slave Code

Glossary

• balls bullets
• commonwealth the official name of four U.S. states: Virginia, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky
• pillory a framework with holes for the head and feet, used to expose criminals to public humiliation
• recognizance recorded obligation entered before a court to appear in court at a particular time or pay a penalty
• Richmond the capital city of Virginia
• shew an antique spelling of “show”
• stocks a framework on which a criminal was subjected to public humiliation
• stripes whipping
• sureties persons who promise to pay a sum of money in the event that another person fails to fulfill an obligation