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.