May 10, 1740: The Negro Act

Systemic racism is as American as apple pie.

The Old Plantation (anonymous folk painting). Depicts African-American slaves dancing to banjo and percussion. Wikimedia Commons.

The Negro Act of 1740 targeted the “Negro” population of the 18th century province of South Carolina, a slave colony in the “new world.” The act prohibited Black Americans from assembling into groups, raising their own food, e…