African-American Slavery: The Facts

Slavery was officially established in Virginia in 1654, when Anthony Johnson, a

black man, convinced a court that his servant (also black) John Casor was his for
life. Johnson himself had been brought to Virginia some years earlier as an
indentured servant (a person who must work to repay a debt, or on contract for
so many years in exchange for food and shelter – image of a contract above) but
he saved enough money to buy out the remainder of his contract and that of his
wife.

The court ruled in Johnson’s favor, and the very first officially state-recognized
slave existed in Virginia. Johnson eventually became very wealthy and began
importing his own black slaves from Africa, for which he was granted 250 acres
(at the time, any person importing a slave would be paid 50 acres per person).
Eventually the unfortunate repercussions of this decision would come back to
haunt Johnson when his land was confiscated and given to a white man because
Johnson “was a Negroe and by consequence an alien.”

In Africa, prior to the arrival of European slave traders,

slavery was a normal part of life. The thing that makes it
stand out from European style slavery was the fact that
it was a sign of good reputation and honor if a slave
owner treated his slaves with respect and kindness.

The better treated your slaves, the more honorable and

highly regarded you were. Manhandling a slave was
considered unethical and you risked your reputation if
you did not feed, clothe, and provide quality
surroundings for your slaves.

Charles Lynch was a farmer and American revolutionary from

Virginia. During the American Revolution, he headed an
irregular court which tried and punished loyalist supporters
of the British. The sentences handed down were usually
property seizure, flogging, or conscription into the army.
After the revolution, Lynch became a member of the Virginia
Senate. He is, of course, now famous for the term “lynching”
or a “lynch mob”. Lynching of slaves initially started out as
flogging, but within a short period of time this progressed to
summary execution (usually by hanging). Lynchburg in
Virginia is named for his brother John.

Slaves worked on tobacco, sugar and coffee plantations.

These goods were then shipped back to England and all over
the world.

President Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery in 1863, declaring all men free. Slavery was one of the key causes of the American
Civil war between the north and the south (1861–1865). From the 16th to the 19th centuries, an estimated 12 million Africans
were shipped as slaves to the Americas.

‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ / Mr. Mallon