In 1650 Virginia counted only 300 blacks in its population although by the end of the century blacks most of them enslaved made up approximately percent of the colony's population.?

By the end of the 17th century, enslaved Blacks constituted about 40% of Virginia's population. The increase from 300 in 1650 to a significant percentage by 1700 reflects the growing reliance on slave labor in the colony, particularly in tobacco cultivation. This demographic shift laid the foundation for a society deeply entrenched in slavery that would last for centuries.