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Introduction
Anthony Johnson had a very progressive life, but the wrath of history didn't. He suceeded in many obtacles throughout his life such as,owning land, winning a court case against an English-man, and owning a slave later in his life. He faced many hardships but mostly relived himself of them later in his life due to his hard-work and determination to find a good life. -
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Life of the Johnson Family
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Anthony Johnson Considered Indentured Servant Part 1
Anthony Johnson's recognition as a indentured servant at the 1625 census demonstrates that he was considered a indentured servant and not a slave. He's not a slave because of a law that says that if a slave baptised, that they should be exempt from bondage for life. Many slaves chose this route to most likely become an indentured servant instead of a slave the rest of their life. -
Anthony Johnson Considered Indentured Servant Part 2
This is an example of early progress because it leads historians to assume that slavery wasn't as popular and harsh as it becomes later in Colonial Virginia's future.Peter Wood of Duke University said,"In the 18th century, a man's skin determined his status. But that was not true in the early years." -
Anthony Johnson Owns Land (Part 1)
Anthony's ownership of land shows progress because it shows that he was well liked by his neighbors, enough for Captain Taylor to share his cornfield divided with Anthony Johnson. It also shows that there was flexibility within the community with freed Africans at that time because he starts to do casual activities everyday like owning land, selling crops,and later, owning slaves.Acorrding to Thomas J. Davis, a professor of history at Arizona State University,"What he demonstrates is an early -
Anthony Johnson Owns Land (Part 2)
fluidity that exists."http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1i3056.html -
The Casual Killing of Slaves
Later in time, Colonial Virginia's court passed a law saying that baptism doesn't exempt from bondage and that first declares that slaves are their "master's" property. Being their property allows the master's to do whatever punishment they want if the slave resists their master. This law shows diminishing progress because it is a first sign that a slave's life was getting worse and worse as property of their masters. -
The Slaves' Punishment for Hog-Stealing Part 1
This law shows the nasty decline for diminishing progress because it says that if either a freed African or a slave commits the crime of hog-stealing that they would get 39 lashes on the back (40 lashes is the number of lashes that kill).If they commited it a second time, they would throw them in the prison for 2 hours with their ears nailed.After the 2 hours would be up, the criminal wold have his or her ears cut off.The reason that this is a dreaded example of diminishing progress is -
The Slaves' Punishments for Hog-Stealing Part 2
because that there was a law passed earlier in years that Africans and Native Americans can't posess guns. If the slaves or Free Africans can't own a gun, then they can't hunt for their own meat.Those helpless people can't feed themselves their desperate for some meat, hence why they would steal the pigs. It is a rather cruel law, and shows how the Africans were treated so inhumanly. -
Slaves Projected as Real Estate Part 2
being freed shattered. -
Slaves First Projected as Real Estate Part 1
This is the final and one of the more horrid example of diminishing progress because it shows that slaves were their owner's property, like a chair or couch.The owner may do whatever they please with the slave, and the slaves can be passed down from generation to generation. It shows that the Englishmen have complete control over almost all of the Africans in Colonial Virginia. Worst of all all of the slaves suffering from this unimaginable torture of slavery, have had their biggest wish of -
Final Words
Though this was was a horrible time, our country just wouldn't be the same without this time period of slavery.This putrid time of America's past helped shape our country into what it is today. Former slaves and free Africans over come this overbearing obstacle, and then led the Civil Rights Movement to show nearly most of the world that everyone is equal regardless of race or color. Now think about this. What would our beloved country be today without slavery in our early days?
