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Anthony Johnson's life
Anthony Johnson first arrived to Colonial Virginia in 1621.He was an indentured servant and was released after a certain amount of years. He owned his own land and had his own slaves, even though he was an African. Even though Anthony Johnson was successful, his kids, due to the laws legislators established, weren't as successful. -
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Diminishing Progress
Click HereThe oxymoron, diminishing progress, can be seen throughout history. As time, or progress, continues, the events in history get worse. As time progresses, less progress is made. Africans, at first, were not slaves, they were indentured servants and would be set free after some years of working.Over the years,English legislators established laws that trapped the Africans into slavery.The laws have changed the English men's moral compass.The laws soon become the new "normal." -
Africans are Indentured Servants, not Slaves (part 1)
Anthony Johnson had arrived to the New World as an indentured servant. When Africans had first arrived to the New World, they were indentured servants and not slaves. According to Betty Wood, history professor in Oxford University,"These first arrivals were treated very much as English servants would have been treated."This event shows how Africans, at first, were treated with more respect and were not considered property or slaves. -
Africans are Indentured Servants, not Slaves (part 2)
Click HereDue to the Siete Partidas laws, a person could not serve for life if he/she was a Christian. By being baptized, an African could be freed after a certain amount of years working. -
Anthony Johnson Wins Court Case
In 1654, Anthony Johnson, an African, won a court case against a white man.Anthony Johnson won his slave, John Casar, back.Later in colonial Virginia, an African winning a court case against a white man would be almost unheard of, but in the 1600s, Anthony Johnson won.Before, Africans and English men were treated equally in the law. Over the years, Africans have lost power and respect. -
Act III Baptism and Bondage
According to the Siete Partidas laws, a slave would be released if he or she was baptised.Act III stated that the Siete Partidas laws didn't matter anymore.Slaves,baptised or not, would be forever slaves.Slave owners had more power over slaves.This law satisfies the slave owners greed;more slaves means more money. Indentured servants are disappearing and are replaced with slavery.Englishmen have more power and control over the slaves and slaves have to stick with their masters. -
Casual Killing (part 1)
Since slaves were slaves for life (baptism no longer exempted slaves from bondage), the masters could no longer punish slaves with more years of working, like they could before .The only way to punish slaves now was to use more violent ways.If a slave was to die from the punishment, the master wouldn't be charged with murder because slaves were considered property. -
Casual Killing (part 2)
Colonial legislators had forced themselves to create this law because of the previous baptism and bondage law.The laws against Africans would continue to get worse and worse, and each law forced another bad law to be made, and everything started to go into a downward spiral. Before slaves had some respect and were treated the same as white servants, but now slaves were officially referred to as property, not humans. The future of slaves didn't look so bright. -
Bearing Office(part1)
Free Africans could not bear office in Colonial Viriginia.Africans and other races could not make laws and speak up for their race.Since Africans had no one to speak up for them, the laws against them would not improve.Colonial legislators would continue to make laws against Africans because there was no other race allowed in office to speak out in favour of Africans. -
Bearing Office(part 2)
This shows diminishing progress because Africans and slaves have no way to improve the laws. They have no choice but to obey any law that the legislators make. -
Conclusion (part 2)
These laws might be hard to notice at first, but that's because they mess with your moral compass.As the laws are passed and time passes, you get used to the laws.Keep your eyes out for these systematic passage of laws in other situations because they have big consenquences, good and bad.When you look at laws now, try to pay attention to them.We don't want more slavery or a World War III because of those laws. -
Conclusion (part 1)
Slaves were not at first slaves; they were indentured servants. Anthony Johnson first arrived to the New World and became very successful during his life, even though he was an African. Anthony Johnson's kids and grandkids would have to suffer the laws that Colonial Legislators made against Africans.Many times during history, a systematic passage of laws,like the laws of slavery, is passed that hurt a particular group of people.
