Question

In the United States before the Civil War, it was illegal to... A. sell a slave to another master. B. take a slave's child away. C. teach a slave to read or write. D. punish a slave without a good reason.

Answer 1

Answer:

In the United States before the Civil War, it was illegal to teach a slave to read or write.

Explanation:

• In the southern states where slavery was legal and most white families owned slaves, it was illegal to educate a slave to become literate.
• The act of teaching a slave was unanimously criminalized by all the southern states because the leaders of these states feared the idea of slave getting educated and revolting against them.
• The states had laws in place to punish the one who tried to educate slaves.