There was one slave owner in 1655 that really changed America. He was the first man to own a slave for the lifetime of the slave. Before he came along the British colonies practiced indentured servitude, which would free a servant after a set number of years, usually 4 or 7. The servant would then receive his freedom dues. This would include a piece of land, a mule, farming implements, farming clothes, firearms for protection, a house and 1 years supply of seed corn to get him started. Then along came Anthony Johnson. Johnson as a former slave from Angola had made the best use of his freedom dues and was quite the man about town in Virginia in 1655. He himself had indentured servants, 3 white people and one black man. It was time for the black man to get his freedom. Anthony Johnson refused and went to a court to get the decision that he could keep the black man forever. His reasoning was that the man was black and blacks were slaves for life in Africa. The judge agreed with this reasoning, and opened the door for chattel slavery in America. Thanks Anthony, you really f***** it up. Johnson was so wealthy that it's not unlikely that he knew the judge personally.
There was one slave owner in 1655 that really changed America. He was the first man to own a slave for the lifetime of the slave. Before he came along the British colonies practiced indentured servitude, which would free a servant after a set number of years, usually 4 or 7. The servant would then receive his freedom dues. This would include a piece of land, a mule, farming implements, farming clothes, firearms for protection, a house and 1 years supply of seed corn to get him started. Then along came Anthony Johnson. Johnson as a former slave from Angola had made the best use of his freedom dues and was quite the man about town in Virginia in 1655. He himself had indentured servants, 3 white people and one black man. It was time for the black man to get his freedom. Anthony Johnson refused and went to a court to get the decision that he could keep the black man forever. His reasoning was that the man was black and blacks were slaves for life in Africa. The judge agreed with this reasoning, and opened the door for chattel slavery in America. Thanks Anthony, you really f***** it up. Johnson was so wealthy that it's not unlikely that he knew the judge personally.