The Landing of Negroes at Jamestown from a Dutch Man-of-War
in 1619. This was a tragic day indeed for these 20 Negroes and millions
more who would follow, to be enslaved in the English Colonies of North America and the United States over the course nearly
two and one half Centuries! This was the beginning of 247 years of combined slavery for these
people and their descendents. This is a good time to emphasize that the ancestors of African Americans did
not voluntarily emigrate to the English Colonies of North America or the United States. They were brought here by force! We sometimes imagine that oppressive slave laws were put quickly into
full force by greedy landowners in the English Colonies of North America. The enslavment of Africans and Indians had
been common in Central and South America a century before it was introduced into the English Colonies of North America.
In 1619 the first Africans were brought to Jamestown. Their status
is presumed to have been indentured servitude. Over the course of a few decades the enslavement of black Africans was established, in
the individual English Colonies of North American, one law at a time and one colony at a time. The clearest view I have of the "peculiar institution" of slavery is in the colony of Virginia. During the very early period of
Virginia's history, black Africans and poor whites shared a similar status. Blacks and whites, men and women often worked
side-by-side in the fields. Anyone who broke their servant contract was punished. In the turn of events leading to the
legalized enslavement of black Africans, the fact that Africans could not speak, read, nor write English upon their arrival.
Africans had no concept what an indentured servant was, let alone and indentured servant contract. Early colonial court records in Virginia concern "Antonio the Negro,"
as he was named in the 1625 Virginia census. He was brought to the colony in 1621. At that time, English and Colonial law
had not yet defined racial slavery; the census called Antonio a "servant." Later, Antonio changed his name to Anthony Johnson, married an African
American servant named Mary, and they had four children. Mary and Anthony became free, and he soon owned some land and cattle.
He even engaged indentured servants to work for him. In 1640 three indentured servants, one black and two white, fled
from a Virginia plantation. When caught and returned to their owner, the two white servants had their indenture extended for
four years. The black servant, named John Punch, was sentenced to serve his said master or his assigns for the time of his
natural life. John Punch's status was changed from an indentured servant to a slave. It is not difficult to imagine that
how rapidly it became an accepted practice to falsly accuse black indentured servants of infractions in order to
keep the enslaved for life. In 1650,
Anthony was one of 400 Africans in the Virginia Colony, among a white settler population of nearly 19,000. In Virginia county
Johnson where Johnson lived 20 or so African men and women were free, and 13 of this number owned their own homes. But a drastic
change loomed in the near future for Africans who were brought to Virginia! In 1661, the enslavement of black Africans was
leagalized in Virginia. Traditionally, Englishmen had held the belief they had the right
to enslave non-Christians or captives taken in a just war. Conveniently Africans and Native American fit this definition.
But what if these captives learned to speak English and converted to Christianity? Should they be released
from bondage and given their freedom? Instead the status of Africans was not determined by changing
their religious faith, but by their unchangeable skin color! Also
when freed black indentured servants were percieved as a threat to the property-owning white elite. The establishment government
placed restrictions on available lands thus creating a general unrest among all newly freed indentured servants.
In 1676, freed working class men rebelled burned Jamestown to
the ground, (Bacon's Rebellion. This made indentured servitude look less attractive to Virginia's ruling class.
Also indentured servants were entitled to move on once indenture obligation was fulfilled. The replacement of indentured
servants was continual and costly for plantation owners. It was expedient to enslave Black Africans for life because African
were easily identified by their black skin color. It was even extra expedience to legalize the enslavement of black children. In 1662 Virginia legalized the enslavement of black Africans. All
children born to enslaved mothers were the property of the slave mother's owner. The condition of enslavement was passed down
from generation to generation. 1705 Virginia declared
that "All servants imported and brought in this County... who were not Christians in their Native Country... shall be slaves.
Negroes, mulattoes and Indian shall be held to be real estate." English suppliers responded to the increasing demand for slaves in
the English Colonies in North American. In 1672, England officially entered the slave trade when the King of England
chartered the Royal African Company, encouraging it to expand the British slave trade. In 1698, the English Parliament ruled
that any British subject could be liscensed to practice in the African slave trade. During the first 50 years of the 18th century, the number of
Africans brought to British colonies, on British ships, rose from 5,000 to 45,000 a year. England surpassed Portugal and Spain to
become the largest trafficker in the African Slave Trade! |
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Burke - Carter Genealogy Connections John Carter (1613-1669) sailed from England to the Jamestown Virginia
in 1635. He apparently was very well connected with the power structure in England. He rapidly became elected to the House
of Burgess and appointed as Colonel in the Virginia Colony Militia. He commanded the Virginia Militia in subduing the last
of the Powhatten Indians around 1640, then quickly acquired a large plantation called Corotomaton, located in Lancaster County,
Virginia. At Corotoman John Carter established the beginning of large scale plantation style tobacco cultivation.
There is no way for me to be sure exactly when my African ancestors arrived at Corotoman, but John Carter did own a few
Negroes prior to 1650. Since generations of Carter slaves were passed down through inheritance, it is probable that my
genealogy is connected the early African people at Corotoman. Also there is the possibility that my genealogy is
connected to the first Aficans brought to Jamestown in 1619.
Robert King Carter http://www.christchurch1735.org/history/robert_carter.html When John Carter died in 1669, ownership of Corotoman passed to his eldest son John Carter II who died around 1693. Robert
“King” Carter then became the principle owner of Corotoman and during the course of his life, he expanded his
land holdings in the Northern Neck of Virginia to an excess of 300,000 acres. Enter supporting content here
Robert Carter II was born at Corotoman in 1704. As a young man, his father, Robert “King” Carter gave him Nomini
Hall Plantation in Westmoreland County, Virginia along with some slaves to work that plantation. Nomini Hall was located on
Nomini Creek which flows into the Potomac River. Apparently one of the slaves was my ancestor named Mary. Mary had several
children; one of her sons named Baptist Billy, born around 1725, is the ancestor of African American Burke family
living in Washington County, Ohio since 1854. Robert Carter II had two children,by his wife, a girl named Elizabeth and a boy named Robert Carter III born
at Nomini Hall in 1728. Robert “King” Carter and his son Robert Carter II both died in the year 1732 when Robert
Carter III was only four years old.
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