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Period: to
Diminishing Progress
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Anthony Johnson Introduction, Part 1
Anthony Johnson was brought to America as a slave around 1620. After 20 years of slavery on the Bennett Plantation, Anthony bought his and his wife's, Mary's, freedom. They bought their own plantation on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Anthony was baptized into Anglican faith and had four children. Anthony became a successful plantation owner, owning cattle and hogs and growing corn and tobacco. He even had two slaves of his own. -
Anthony Johnson Introduction, Part 2
Anthony was leading a normal and happy life until the 1640's when Africans' rights began to drop slowly, but effectively. Anthony's rights began to be taken away from him. He was starting to not be seen as a person and more as an African slave. -
Anthony Acquires Land
Captain Taylor(a White man) and Anthony divided the land in half so they each had their own land. Anthony was gaining respect, and even though he was Black he was dividing land with a White man. Anthony was earning his own living. -
Anthony returns to court for John Casar
Anthony returned to court to get his slave, John Casar, back. He won the trial against a White man. Anthony won a court case against a White man, which means his rights were not completely taken away yet. He still had some rights to do these kind of things. -
Baptism of slaves doesn't exempt them from bondage
If a slave was baptized, it didn't mean that the slave got to be free. The slave still belonged to its owner. The English were trying to gain more control and power over Africans and so they made this law to start reducing their freedom to make them more like property. The slaves had less of a chance of gaining their freedom. -
Casual killing of slaves
If the owners of a slave abused the slave and the slave happened to die, there would be no charges pressed against the owner. Owners could kill their slaves and not get in trouble. This was the first time African slaves are mentioned as property and not as people. Their identity as people was now going down hill until eventually they would not be known as human beings. This law was taking the rights of their lives away from them. -
Punishment for hog stealing.
Slaves who stole hogs got extreme punishment. The punishment wasn't just death. The slaves would have a long death involving pain and torture. This act was the first time slaves were mentioned as things and not human beings. If it was an English man stealing a hog he would probably just get a warning. In a slave's case, he would get tortured to death. -
End of the Line, Part 1
In the beginning of slavery, slaves had some rights. They slowly lost their rights until they were no longer treated as people, but as "things". They worked in pain, bleeding and sweating. The Englishmen and women sat back watching them doing their labor and when the slaves were done, they got punished for doing little things wrong. After they lost every chance of freedom, things changed. -
End of the Line, Part 2
Slaves started to rebel to get what was theirs in the first place. They had to fight to get what they deserved. Just imagine doing everybodys' hard labor for them, getting tortured, and being discriminated against. The slaves were once known as human beings. They were once treated just like you and I are treated.
