-
Period: to
Diminishing Progress for Anthony Johnson
-
Introduction
Back in the 1600s when as most of you know Virginia was colonized, there was a lot of belief that Africans were not human, and were to be considered as property, this is actually not true. The Englishmen followed what are known as the Siete Partidas laws which acknowledge that slavery was not a natural human condition, and they had to be set free after a certain amount of time if they were converted to Christianity. -
Introduction cont'd
This Timeline will tell you about a man named Anthony Johnson, how he and his family survived these laws, how The Englishmen did gain so much control over them, what effect this had on both them. and the community, and more! -
No Guns for Africans
This was the first law of many that resrained the Africans' rights as equal people in Virginia. This law stated that Africans were not allowed to own guns as the title suggests. But it also states that if an African chose to keep their gun that they would be fined a certain amount for each month they kept it. This was the beginning of the stripping of African rights in the colonies. -
Anthony's Freedom
We don't know for sure when anthony was freed, but we estimate he was freed around the early part of the year in 1641, after working for approximately 20 years. To me, him being free shows how most slaves had the hope of that happening to them. It also show just how much he has gained in the harsh world that he lived in on hard work alone. -
Anthony Johnson Aquires Land
Approximately 4 years after he was freed, Anthony Johnson went to a recoded court case and buys a portion of land from a man whose stated name in said court case is Captin Taylor. The court case does not state how much land he gained from this but on a side note, we do know that when he died he had acquired over 250 acres of land and owed a "plentiful amount of livestock". -
The Casual Killing of Slaves
By reading the title what is your first impression on the law I'm about to tell you? Well whatever it is let me tell you about what is quite possibly the worst law in North American history. This law states that if you are punishing your slave for any crime, if you take his life while doing this you are not charged with the crime of killing your slave for it was believed that your slave was a piece of your property. -
Who Shall Bear Office
Back in the early 1700's, colonial governors were the people who made the laws in early Virginia, and they also made sure that the laws they made were enforced. This law stated that free Africans were not allowed to hold ofiice in Virginia. This law really shows how they don't want Africans to change the laws that they have put in place to oppression. -
Conclusion
Through the years, Anthony has had a lot of rough times, but as long as he kept his humble life to himself he would die a happy man. Though his life ended well do you think that others were so fortunate? If you ask me I bet that this sort of thing is happening in other places. So now that you know that do you want to just sit there and let this happen? I plan to take action against it and hope to one day stop this type of thing around the globe. so the question is, will you join me?
