The first slaves were sold into Jamestown by pirates that
had intercepted a Spanish slave ship. They arrived during late August in 1619.
There are estimated to have been around twenty slaves introduced at this time. Seeing
as the slaves were baptized Christians, they were treated as indentured
servants.
John Rolfe
is credited with recording this event. His statement (the artifact) is the
following: “About the latter end of August, a Dutch man of Warr of
the burden of a 160 tunes arrived at Point-Comfort, the Comandors name Capt
Jope, his Pilott for the West Indies one Mr Marmaduke an Englishman. … He
brought not any thing but 20. and odd Negroes, w[hich] the Governo[r] and Cape
Merchant bought for victuall[s].”
These slaves are the starting point
for the massive consumption of slavery that is seen later in the century.
"Arrival of First Africans to Virginia Colony." PBS. PBS. Web. 28 Sept. 2015.
United States. National Park Service. "African Americans at Jamestown." National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 27 Sept. 2015. Web. 28 Sept. 2015.
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