The AngolAn ConneCTion And SlAvery in virginiAThe AngolAn ConneCTion And SlAvery in virginiA The...
Transcript of The AngolAn ConneCTion And SlAvery in virginiAThe AngolAn ConneCTion And SlAvery in virginiA The...
The AngolAn ConneCTion And SlAvery in virginiA
ThefirstAfricansinVirginiainthe17thcenturycamefromtheKongo/Angolaregionsof WestCentralAfrica.Theywerepartof alargesystemestablishedbythePortugueseinAfricatocaptureandsupplyslavestotheSpanishcoloniesinCentralandSouthAmerica.TwoprivateeringvesselsraidingintheCaribbeantooksomeof theAf-ricansfromaPortugueseshipandbroughtthemtoVirginia,wheretheysoldthem.Thestatusof theseearlyAfricansaseitherservantorslaveinVirginiaisunknown.Theydidgotoworkfortobaccoplanters,laboringsidebysidewithEnglishindenturedservants.Afterthe1622warthattheEnglishfoughtagainstthePowhatanIndians,however,fewerEnglishservantswerewillingtoimmigrateintoVirginia.Certainlybythe1650stheexcesspopulationinEnglandbegantobereducedandmorejobopportunitiesarosethereforimpoverishedEnglishworkers.Butbecausethetobaccoeconomywaslabor-intensive,VirginiaplantersincreasinglyhadtorelymoreonpeoplefromAfrica.
Inthe1630stheDutchseizedcontrolof theAfricanslavetradefromPortugal,whichhadmaintaineditformanyyears.TheDutchbuiltortookoverfortifiedtradingpostswhichthePortuguesehadestab-lishedalongthecoastof WestAfrica,closertosuppliesof goldandivory.ButtheDutchdidnotkeepcontrolverylong,asotherEuropeanpowerscompetedforthelucrativetrade.Bythe1660stherewasacleardemandforslavesinVirginia,andslaveshipsbegantoarrivemorefrequently.TheynolongerbroughtpeopleprimarilyfromKongo/Angola.Nowshipsbroughtthemfromthecoastof WestAfrica.Thesepeopleweretakenfromdifferentpartsof WestAfrica,andsohaddiverseculturalbackgrounds.TheslavetradesystemcreatedbyEuropeansin
AfricawasmuchmoredamagingtoAfricansocietiesthanthetraditionalformsthatalreadyexistedinAfrica.Thepeoplewereexploitedandtheirfamiliesweredivided.Inthemiddleof thecenturytherewasnoorganized,systematictradeinslavesbetweenAfricaandVirginia.Slavesarrivedinthecolonyatirregularintervals,usuallywhenslaveshipstradingintheCaribbeanareaorCentralAfricamadeunplannedstopsinVirginia.In1672theRoyalAfricanCompanywascharteredbytheEnglishgovernmenttobringslavestoVirginia.TheCompanywasinvolvedinthetriangletradeintheAtlantic.EnglishmanufacturedgoodsweresoldtoAfricaforgold,ivoryandslaves,andAfricawasareadymarketfortheseproducts.TheslaveswerethentakentoVirginiatobesoldtoplanters.Theplanters’tobaccowaspickedupandtakentoEnglandforsaleforgoodsandservicestheplantersneeded.Bythe1680stheRoyalAfricanCompanywasbringingseveralhundredslavestoVirginiaeachyear.
Mostof theseslaveslandedateitherJamestownorYorktown.TheRoyalAfricanCom-panymaintainedafactororbusinessagentatJamestowntooverseethesaleof theslaves.SeveralprominentVirginiansservedastheCompany’sagentatJamestown,including
ColonelNathanielBaconandColonelJohnPage,bothmembersof theGovernor’sCouncil.
Africansformedaverysmallpartof Virginia’spopulationandatfirstlivedmuchasindenturedservantsdid.Slavessometimeslivedwithwhiteservants,andtheyworkedalongsidewhiteservantsandwhitemastersinthefields.Towardtheendof the17thcenturyaspopulationsof slavesincreased,slaveownersbegantocreateseparatequartersfortheenslavedpeopletolivetogether.Slavequartersvariedinsize,andthenumberof enslavedpeoplewholivedinaparticularquartermightrangefromasingleindividualorfamilygrouptomorethanadozenunrelatedpeople.ThepeopleinthequartermightbestrangerswhocamefromdifferentWestAfricanculturesandspokedifferentlanguages.Whenfamilygroupsdidforminthecolony,slaveownersdidnotnecessarilyrespecttiesof marriageandkinship,andfamiliesmightnotgettolivetogetherinthesamequarter.
Slaverywasnottheinevitablefateof alltheAfricanswhoarrivedinVirginiainthe17thcentury.Bythemiddleof thecenturyaboutathirdof allAfricansinthecolonywerefreepersons.Mosthadbeeneitherslavesorindenturedservantsatsometimeintheirlives,althoughafewhadcomeasfreepersonsorhadbeenborntheretofreeparents.Untilthelate17thcenturytherewerenorestrictionsonfreeAfricansinVirginia,andtheylivedsimilarlivestothoseof theirEnglishneighbors.Althoughmostwerepoorerthanotherfreepersons,somedidprosperandacquiretheirownplantations.Freepersonscouldevenownslavesand,until1670,theyhadthelegalrighttopurchasewhiteindenturedservants.Asthecenturyprogressed,however,someof therightsandstatusof freepersonswerereduced,andsomeof themwereforcedontomarginallands,whileothersmovedfromVirginiatocolo-niestothenorth.
OTHER SOURCES
Breen,T.H.andStephenInnes.“MyneOwneGround”:RaceandFreedomonVirginia’sEasternShore.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress,1980.
Eltis,David.TheRiseof AfricanSlaveryintheAmericas.CambridgeUniversityPress,2000.
Sluiter,Engel.“NewLightonthe’20.andOddNegroes’ArrivinginVirginia,August1619,”inTheWilliamandMaryQuarterly54(April1997):395-398.
Thomas,Hugh.TheSlaveTrade:TheStoryof theAtlanticCoast,1440-1870.NewYork:Touchstone,1997.
Thornton,John.“TheAfricanExperienceof the’20.andOddNegroes’ArrivinginVirginiain1619,”inTheWilliamandMaryQuarterly55(July1998):421-434.
Historical background materials made possible by Archibald Andrews Marks.