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Anthony Johnson's Life and the Laws Passed During It
The diminishing progress during Anthony Johnson's life which affected everyone that wasn't white. -
Act X- No Negroes can bear arms.
Negroes could no longer have any arms. This was the first step in making the Negroe race weaker. It prevented them from perhaps a rebellion or a murder. According to Author John Russel, the Englishmen probably felt safer without Negroes having arms. The image on the left shows what the Englishmen feared. Whites could have weapons, so they would have an advantage over Negroes in a fight. -
Act X No Negroes can Bear Arms Cont.
Physcologically the Negroes were scared now that they had no weapons. The Whites made the new law not seem like a big deal. Once the Negroes realized what was happening, they had no weapons to fight back. They were now essentially at the mercy of the Whites. -
Doc. C Anthony Goes to Court For John Casar
Anthony goes back to court over John Casar. He had previously been in court over Casar before. Casar had won that case and got his freedom. Anthony wins John back as a slave instead of an indentured servant. Which is a little unfair since before John was a indentured servant. This shows that once a Negroe could take a White man to court and win. (Image on left is portrait of Anthony Johnson in court.) -
Doc. C Anthony Goes to Court For John Casar Cont.
He won and got everything in his favor even though he was a
Negroe. The court system was fair before it was unfair. According to the author John Russell, people though that religion was the thing seperating Englishmen from slaves, and if a slave became Christian then he was free. Then the thing seperating Englishmen and slaves was skin tone. -
Act I Casual Killing of Slaves is Legal
The casual killing of slaves was legal. This was one of the many laws passed. Death could now be a form of punsihment for slaves. Before all slaves could get was lashings since they couldn't work for another year since they were owned for life (picture on the left). Indentured servants could get more years as a servant, but slaves couldn't. -
Act I Casual Killing of Slaves is Legal Cont.
Slaves were now proabably scared of their masters. This shows that now Whites thought of slaves as replacable things. Slaves were again at the mercy of their masters. The slaves were now at a weaker position in the community. If the master was displeased with the slave then he could kill them. If the slave was a runaway caught then they could be killed. The Negroe slaves had no power anymore. -
Act IV No Negroes Can Hold Office
No Negroes could hold office of anything. They couldn't even have a position at a church free or not (church on the left). The Whites probably thought that if they held office then they would have more power. Political office is an obvious position of power, but some were not. No position at a church for example was more of a precaution in case some Negroe tried to influence people through religion. The Negroes had no power of influence anymoe either. -
Act XXII All Negroes are Property
All Negroes, Mulatto, and Indian slaves are property. The slaves weren't even considered people now. They were simply things that were replacable. The slaves were bought and sold just like some food (picture on the left). This was basically the final blow to the slaves. First they couldn't have arms to fight. -
Act XXII All Negroes are Property Cont.
After that the power of influence was taken away by not allowing non white to hold office. This was the final blow to the Negroes. Now they couldn't fight back or have any kind of rebellion. There have been several cases of diminishing progress around the world. It's even happening today in the Middle East. -
Act IV No Negroes Can Hold Office Cont.
Next the court system got corrupt and only was fair to white people. Then the casual killing of slaves is legal. First it was actuall weapons then physcological weapons. According to Duke University proffesor, Peter Wood, before the African Americans were treated unfairly, they were treated just like white men. -
Act XXII All Negroes are Property Cont. Cont.
Diminishing progress is what happened here and what is happening in the Middle East right now. The countries in the Middle East were mostly ruled by dictators who made laws preventing certain things people needed to rebel. That is what happened to the not just the Negroe race but everyone who wasn't white in Colonial America.
