1619 - Those who learn from history are blessed to redeem it ...
This blog explores redemptive views and opportunities related to Family History and studies such as the 1619 Project. It includes presentations and case studies using www.FamilySearch.org to gather family history and collaborate with others. It also shows how FamilySearch can be used for education.
In 1619, 20 to 30 Angolans came ashore at Point Comfort,
Virginia having endured the horror of crossing the Atlantic in a slave ship after
being enslaved in Africa by the Portuguese and perhaps its allied tribes.
If Virginians treated these people fairly, how would that
change your perspective on the 1619 Project and related studies, proposals, and
projects?
In October 2019, my wife Peggi and I attended the annual conference
of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) where Ric Murphy, the lead historian, presented many years of detailed research on these
1619 events. He unveiled the USA TODAY infographics that dramatically show the
growth of slavery from that date onward in what would become the United States
of America. It is a powerful infographic and story that all should learn.
His presentation showed that the 20 to 30 Angolans were treated as indentured servants and that they eventually gained their freedom. Some became landowners and some even owned their own enslaved people. We were not sure whether the categorization of indentured servant was entirely correct and was perhaps a euphemism for slavery. However subsequently we reviewed the research and concluded that they were treated as servants and eventually gained their freedom.
1619 August - Angolans taken to Point Comfort, Virginia
This treatment with eventual freedom sets up a contrast to institutional racism that soon followed. In about 20 years after 1619, laws were
enacted in Virginia that codified slavery based on the cultural view of race.
This view of history shows that people were willing to accept others of
different races and cultures, but then bad laws and court cases were enacted to
institutionalize racism and slavery.
Posts in this blog look at the history of these enslaved
Angolans and other events following. It also considers how the Virginians suffered and struggled over 10
years to make progress in their settlements. Most were essentially owned by the
Virginia Company and did not have the full rights of citizens. The privateers who
took the Angolans from the slave ship San Juan Bautista could have taken
the enslaved people to many places that were much closer at less expense
and greater prospects for profits. These places already had slavery and could
have paid them the coins they were seeking as part of their British charter.
In Virginia, the privateers only received provisions that
were needed for their own survival. Provisions were a type of pay, but not the
profit they sought. Most workers similarly received provisions and typically
meager lodgings as at least partial compensation for their work. This would be
true of what the Angolans received in Virginia in at least partial compensation
for their hard work that was a key part of building these settlements and with many
others like them in building our nation.
Comments
Post a Comment