The 1740 slave codes of South Carolina serve to blur the distinction between African, American Indian, and interracially mixed child slaves, declaring: “All negroes and Indians, (free Indians in amity with this government, and negroes, mulattoes, and mustezoses, who are now free, excepted) mullatoes and mustezoes who are now, or shall hereafter be in this province, and all their issue and offspring … shall be and they are hereby declared to be, and remain hereafter absolute slaves” (Hurd, 1862, p. 303, as cited in Minges, 2002, p. 455).(https://www.nps.gov/ethnography/aah/aaheritage/lowCountry_furthRdg1.htm)