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The Lifespan of Antonio the Slave
Antonio came to Virginia around 1600 from England after being captured and enslaved by the Dutch in Africa. He spent 20 years as a slave and bought his freedom around 1620. By 1639, slave laws in Virginia began to change. A statute called "The Statutes at Large" was created to prevent negros from hunting and defending themselves. They weren't allowed to have guns. This was the first law that started to diminish their rights. -
Introduction: Antonio the Slave
This timeline will show the lifespan of Antonio the slave and how many of his rights were taken away from him and his children over time by laws being passed that limited his rights. -
Anthony the Negro Acquires Land 1645
Antonio the slave was a hard working man who eventually bought his freedom and his wife's freedom and owned two slaves. One of the first time progress was shown was when Antonio the slave agreed with a Mr. Taylor (a white Britishman) to divide a corn field which gave Antonio the power to feed his own family and work on his own land. This is according to a court case in 1645 in Northampton County court. -
Court Case: Anthony Petitions for his Slave
The second time progress was shown for Anthony the slave was in a court case in 1654 concerning his slave John Casar. Anthony now a landowner and slave owner had equal social status and respect from the courts when it came to freeing one of his slaves John Casar. Casar worked for Anthony for eight years, did his service and gained his freedom according to the court document. This event is important becasue it shows that African Americans at one time had equal rights if they owned land in VA, -
Act I An Act About the Casual Killing of Slaves
A few years after the court case over Anthony's slave John Casar, a new law according to a document written in "The Statutes at Large", (Hening, vol. 2, p. 270) was enacted called the casual killing of slaves. The law stated that if a slave owner killed one of his own slaves he would not be punished by law. This meant that slaves were beginning to become less human, they were considered property and the Englishmen were trying to stop a slave rebellion by creating fear. -
Hog Stealing 1699
Another law was encacted in 1699. This law stated that the if a slave was accused of killing a pig that slave would be lashed 39 times and his ears would be nailed a pole and cut off near the nails. This law is more than just diminishing progress, this law is dehumanizing. I believe Englishmen used this law to terrorize the slaves and stop any form of rebellion. -
Conclusion part 1
By 1705 all the rights of Africans were completely taken away. Little by little over 100 years Africans who once could buy their freedom after they worked for it could longer be free. Using Anthony the slave's life you can see how their rights were taken away a peice at a time, where even is own children and grandchildren had less rights than he did years later. Since the beginning of time men have been fighting over land for power, this is merely just an extension of that. -
Conclusion Part 2
Slaves provided cheap labor for argiculture in early America. This was the major source of income for the colonies. So without slaves the entire southern colonies source of income would be destroyed. They would have to hire farm workers which would cause the plantations to lose profits. The only way to maintain their power and income was to keep slaves enslaved. -
Slaves become Real Estate
This law stated that slaves, Indians and mulattos were 100% real estate, nothing more than property. It meant that slaves had no power over thier lives and gave all the power to the English land owners. -
Works Cited
Ames, Susie, M., ed., County Court Records of Accomack-Northampton, virginia, 1640-1645. Hening, ed., The Statutes of Large, vol. 3, pp. 179, 333-335.
Hening, ed., The Statutes of Large, vol. 2 pp. 270. Walczyk, Frank V., transcriber, Northampton County Virginia, Orders, Deeds, & Wills, 1651-1654.