Jamestown: Birthplace of American Democracy and Slavery, Summaries of History of Africa

Download Jamestown: Birthplace of American Democracy and Slavery and more Summaries History of Africa in PDF only on Docsity! 1 The Jamestown Paradox: Birthplace of American Freedom and American Slavery In August 1619, two milestone events happened in Jamestown, the first permanent colony in English North America. The first event, concluding on August 4, was the first meeting of a representative governing body in English North America. For many people, including millions of visiting tourists, Jamestown is the birthplace of American democracy. This familiar story obscures a lesser known, but equally significant event in late August 1619: the arrival of “20 and odd Negroes” to the colony. They would be the first blacks in English North America. They came from West-Central Africa and endured a harrowing Middle Passage across the sea. Their arrival at Point Comfort (present-day Hampton) and their eventual incorporation into the Jamestown colony also marked the beginning of 246 years of racial slavery. Paradoxically then, Jamestown became the birthplace of English-derived democracy and freedom and the birthplace of American slavery and racism. The 1619 Africans would be the first of over half million enslaved Africans to arrive in what became the United States. By 1860, on the eve of the American Civil War, the United States would have four million enslaved people, making it the largest slave society in world history. Were these Africans free or enslaved in Virginia? Some scholars have argued that the 1619 Africans were not enslaved. They note that there were no Virginia slave statutes until the 1660s and that early colonial documents do not use the term “slave.” These scholars also point to some Africans like Anthony and Mary Johnson that eventually became free people with extensive landholdings. Despite a few exceptional cases like the Johnson’s, slavery was the reality for the 1619 Africans. Enslaved in Africa and during the Middle Passage, Jamestown colonist John Rolfe’s account confirms that Jamestown settlers bought the Africans from the ships, the White Lion and the Treasurer. In 1625, the Virginia General Court ruled that a black man named “Brase,” passing through the colony en route to England, was instead to be the enslaved property of Governor Francis Wyatt. In his 1627 will, former Governor George Yeardley included “negars” as part of his estate to be passed on to his wife and children. In 1653, Yeardley’s children still claimed ownership over two of these enslaved people, and sold two of their children.