Eventually, indentured servants were replaced with African slaves because authorities wanted to improve the status of white servants. They did this in an effort to make Virginia seem less like a death trap for the white man. By 1705, nearly half of Virginia's population was black and the slavery code was introduced. The slave code stipulated that slaves were property and therefore subject to the will of the white community. Slaves could be bought, sold, or inherited, but they could not own guns, or beat a white man, or ever own a white man. As the population continued to grow, social changes began to occur. White society began to look a lot like English society. The wealthy landowners belonged to the aristocrats of society and the small farm owners who were former indentured servants belonged to the lower tier of society. Many of these farmers were not destitute as most of them were fortunate to obtain land as a reward for their status as former indentured servants. They made most of their money by trading and selling the crops they produced. Many members of the colonial elite made a lot of money from the crops that slaves grew on their plantations. But with the economy