Virginia’s economic hierarchy matched the Puritan theological ordering of society

Evidence

The economic hierarchy that had emerged in Virginia resembled the pecking order that William Ames had proposed and that Puritans established in New England—although their political and religious allegiances differed. Large planters and ministers and merchants stood at the top—men like John Mottrom of Virginia’s Northern Neck, who used his power to acquire fertile land, solicit trade, procure labor, and keep legally free people—like Elizabeth Key—enslaved. — Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped from the Beginning, 93

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: A seminary’s gender hierarchy was enforced by economic control of households — Katherine Stewart, The Power Worshippers: Inside the…, 159