Mapping the Pathway from Property to Person An interactive map 1. First Africans Arrive 3. Fernando 2. John Punch 4. Elizabeth Keys 6. Barbados Slave Resistance 5. Bacon’s Rebellion 7. The Zong 8. William Wilberforce 9. Slave Trade Outlawed 10. Amistad 12. The Emancipation Proclamation th Amendment 11. The Compromise of 1850 and the Fugitive Slave Laws

Africans Arrive in Jamestown The Dutch sailed into Jamestown, bringing with them about 20 Africans after they had stolen them from a Spanish ship. This was the first time any Africans were brought or traded for goods in Virginia. Records of 1623 and 1624 were not clear about the status of these Africans. Unlike white indentured servants, there were no years of servitude listed in the documentation. While some of these Africans were allowed to have land, it is unclear how many may have been kept as slaves. ReturnReturn to map

John Punch 1640 – Jamestown, Virginia Colony John ran away with two white servants. ReturnReturn to map The two white servants got years added to their indentures. John got a life sentence of slavery. This strongly implies that being African was being used in determining the sentence, since his was different for the same crime.

Fernando 1667 – Norfolk, Virginia Colony While Fernando was a Christian, and had been while in England. He sued for his freedom, in England, Christians were used as servants, but not enslaved. His case was dismissed, and it is assumed that Fernando lost his case – Virginia Slave Code – Baptism does not bring freedom. ReturnReturn to map

Elizabeth Keys – Northumberland, Virginia Colony Elizabeth sues for her freedom. Her father was a free white, her mother a slave. According to English common law, children follow their father’s condition (free or slave). First Elizabeth won (with a jury), then lost on appeal, finally they gave up and she gained her freedom – marrying her lawyer! After several legal efforts, she gained her freedom, but in 1667 the Virginia General Assembly said, "conferring of baptisme doth not alter the condition of the person as to his bondage or Freedome.” ReturnReturn to Map

Bacon’s Rebellion In 1675, Nathaniel Bacon led a group of poor whites and blacks to protest the presence of Indians in his area of Virginia. He believed all Indians were the enemy of the new settlers, and went to Jamestown with the help of 500 armed men, both black and white. ReturnReturn to map Bacon died soon after the rebellion, ending the debate, however, the General Assembly made a law limiting the rights of blacks – Virginia Slave Code – Blacks could not get together in large groups, must have written permission to leave the plantation, and could only be gone for four hours. This law moved the new colonies toward racial slavery.

Slave Resistance in Barbados and Virginia The fear of slave insurrections had white land owners in the colonies and the islands very worried – Gloucester, Virginia. A slave uprising. Several slaves killed for involvement in the plan – Word of slave resistance in Barbados. 35 Negroes were executed – Virginia Slave Code - Blacks could not get together in large groups, must have written permission to leave the plantation, and could only be gone for four hours. ReturnReturn to map

The Story of the Slave Ship Zong 1781 – Left Africa with 442 slaves – too many for the ship. Many slaves died during the voyage, and knowing he would not get a good price on many of the remaining sick slaves, he threw 133 overboard. ReturnReturn to map ReturnReturn to map The insurance company would pay for lost cargo, jettisoned to save the other cargo and crew, but not for dead slaves. The Lord Chief Justice said, “… the case of slaves was the same as if horses had been thrown overboard.’” Granville Sharp, a famous English abolitionist at the time, took this story and used it to further the cause of abolition. Many people agreed with Granville, that for 133 slaves to be thrown overboard and it not be considered murder, but simply ridding the ship of excess cargo, was beyond the scope of normal conscience.

William Wilberforce’s Abolition Speech Mr. Wilberforce spoke to the House of Commons on his thoughts on the conditions of the slave trade. The speech was covered by the press, and described to the public in very different ways. His description was vivid and negative in one report, yet not even mentioning slavery in another. A local Liverpool delegate was chastised in one paper, but not mentioned in others. This shows how stories were reported quite differently and used to support the agendas of various groups in society. ReturnReturn to map ReturnReturn to map

Great Britain Outlaws the African Slave Trade May 1, 1807 – The Houses of Parliament outlaw the purchase, sale, barter, transfer, or dealing in the African Slave Trade. This covered all parts of Africa, as the ports of obtaining slaves, and all domains owned by the United Kingdom where slaves had been taken and sold. Return to map Return to map

Amistad February, 1839 – Portuguese slave hunters kidnapped Africans from Sierra Leone and took them to Cuba. From Cuba, 53 were sold to Spanish plantation owners and put on the Amistad to go to the Caribbean plantations. July 1839, the slaved took control of the ship, killed the captain, and turned toward Africa. In August 1839, the Africans were taken to prison in New York and charged with murder. It went to the Supreme Court of the United States, and former president John Quincy Adams represented the Africans. 35 Africans regained their freedom and returned to Africa after the Court found in their favor. They had never been sold into slavery, and had been transported illegally. The remaining Africans died while awaiting trial, or at sea. ReturnReturn to map ReturnReturn to map

The Compromise of 1850 and the Fugitive Slave Laws Slave trade abolished in Washington D.C., although not slavery. California added to the Union as a free state. Fugitive Slave Act required citizens to help find and return runaway slaves. Fugitive slaves were denied jury trials. Abolitionists were more determined than ever to put an end to slavery. ReturnReturn to map ReturnReturn to map

The Emancipation Proclamation While an important step, it did not free slaves in loyal border states, or in states which were already under Union control. It allowed black men to join the Union Army and Navy, and by the end of the war, almost 200,000 had fought for the north. Return Return to map Return Return to map January 1, 1863 Any slaves being held in states that were still in rebellion against the United States, would be free.

13 th Amendment AMENDMENT XIII Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. Passed by Congress January 31, Ratified December 6, Return to map Return to map