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Period: to
Systematic Diminishing Progress of AJ
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Anthony Johnson's Introduction
Floods of people flow into the British colonies. Life wasn't so bad for the Africans. At first they were servants and they were freed after 20 or so years. This was because of the Siete Partidas Laws that kept Christain slaves from staying slaves. Anthony Johnson came to the colonies and made some great progress, but as time went on things slowly got worse for the Africans. This is called Diminishing Progress and what this whole timeline is about. -
Anthony Gets Land
Anthony was a good servant and after his 20 years were up his former master gave him 250 acres of land, and corn. This is important to diminishing progress because it shows the progress side of diminishing progress. Owning land was inportant because it showed that a man had money and a place in society. -
Anthony Wins Court Case
Anthony Johnson was one of the first Africans to win a court case against an Englishman. The court case was to get his servant back from Robert Parker. At this time anyone who was free had a chance to win a fair case at court. This shows the progress side of diminishing progress. -
Act Declaring that Christanity doesn't Excempt Slavery
The Englishmen are now passing their systematic laws. They are making it so baptisme ( Chirstanity) won't make them indentured servants and that they shall now stay slaves for life. This is part of the diminishing progress because it is diminishing the progress Anthony made of getting freedom and it takes away from the Siete Partidas laws which is a law in their "Great and Holy Religon". -
Act states Punishment for Hog Stealing
The English are now doing grusome punishments for hog stealing. They beat the slave bloody on first offence. The second time they nail their ears then cut the ear lobs off. This is defantly diminishing progress for it shows human torcher for starvation. They are almost taking away the human factor out of slaves. -
Law Chap. XXII Slaves are Declared Real Estate
With this law the English finally drop the bomb. They offically state that slaves are no longer considered people, that they are not people. They are property, equal to any cow or pig on their plantation or farm. This is important to diminishing progress because it totally destroys all progress made by Anthony Johnson. -
Conclusion
Slaves now had little hope for freedom. The English have passed laws of torture, laws of restrictment, and laws of title. Many factors played in this. Fear, power, and control were the key ones. We see it as cruelty to the Africans, but to them it was a way of life. But are we any better? We separate and restrict cultures and take no heed. Ask yourself were they really monsters?
