Colonial criminal codes prioritized economically vital commodities in setting punishments

Evidence

Economic crimes were as much part of criminal law as murder, rape, theft, and crimes against morality. Of course, the lines between economic control, control of morality and status, and suppression of dangerous behavior are rather artificial. Laws about servants and slaves also had all of these objectives. Economic considerations suffused the criminal codes. In Virginia, hogs were more vital than sheep; stealing hogs, then, was a more serious crime than stealing sheep. — Lawrence M. Friedman, A History of American Law, 382

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Colonial legal reforms defy pure economic or repressive explanations — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 1163

Broader Connections

• Colonial legal reforms defy pure economic or repressive explanations #complicates (0.80) — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 1163