Rappahannock Community College’s Rappahannock Institute of Lifelong Learning will have a class on “The Invention and Evolution of Slavery” via Zoom on June 9, 16 and 23 from 1-3 p.m.

When the first Africans arrived at Jamestown in 1619, there was no provision in English law for perpetual servitude. It would take most of a century to create the legal structures to support slavery. When those provisions were finally in place, the institution was not static; it continued to change.

By the same token, emancipation was not brought about by a single proclamation or victory in battle; it was the result of a struggle that was already underway before the American Revolution began. This class will trace the rise and fall of American slavery in a series of three lectures.

The Rev. Bob Prichard will be the instructor for the course. Prichard taught history for 36 years at the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria and is now a Professor Emeritus at the institution. This course will ...