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Introduction
With the recent findings of America back in the 1600's, many people left their home country to join the new world. Some were English settlers, and some were Indentured servants. One of those indentured servants was Anthony Johnson. This is a timeline of him and his sons story on how Anthony Johnson had started making progress, then with the making of laws, he could no longer make progress. So in other words, there was diminishing progress. -
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Progress
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The Life of Anthony Johnson and his Sons
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Anthony Johnson threatened by Powatan Indians
Anthony Johnson was threatened by Powatan Indians. Fifty-two men on his plantation only died. Only Anthony and four other men survived on his plantation. This shows progress because with the ability to own a gun, he was allowed to survive. Without a weapon, Anthony and the other four men would have likely died.
Sources: Document A pg 19, <a href='http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1p265.html' >Anthony Johnson's life -
Act Passes that Negroes Cannot Own a Gun
This act states that all black men found with the possesion of arms and ammunition shall be fined. This shows a small but great diminishing progress event in Anthony Johnson's life. It shows diminishing progress because now if blacks want to fight back, they will not have the technology or power to do so it gave them even less authority over the whites. It just gives the whites even more authority over the blacks. I found this out in Act X, pg 4. -
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Diminishing Progress
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Anthony Johnson Wins Court Case Against White Man
Click here for more informationIn the year 1654,Anthony Johnson fights over one of his slaves, in the end he wins. This shows a lot of progress by showing that it doesn't matter even in legal circumstances the difference that they were black and white. While many years later there is a complete boundary between black and white, it usually didn't matter who was right, the court believes that blacks only tell lies. -
Anthony Johnson Wins Court Case Against White Man (part two)
It now gives Anthony Johnson the societal norms of being a landowner, showing that blacks aren't all slaves. They are also slave owners. I found this out in Court Case C, pg 17 -
Act says the casual killing of slaves is legal if he or she is resisting orders
Act IV states says that if meant as punishment for resisting their owner, it is not counted as murder. This shows diminishing progress by now even the government discriminates them. The government is more concerned for the efficiency of slave owners over the life of a slave or black man. this also shows that they really want them to stop resisting, mistris or overseer their master or owner anymore. I found this out in Act I, pg 7 -
Act declared for the suppression of runaways
A law was passed stating that any slave that runs away can be shot, and that the slave owner would be reimbursted with 450 pounds of tobacco and a flask. This shows diminishing progress by that now they are treated less like humans, and a lot more like property. To put a price on a human is like having a tree as a best friend. It just isn't right. I found this out in Act VIII pg 9 -
Conclusion
In conclusion, Anthony's life started out pretty smooth, with him first coming to the "New World" as an indentured servant. After serving his time he went out of slavery, and became a slave owner himself. The government began to start picking off parts of some rights that blacks had, such as not allowed to own guns. This dimishes the progress that he has just put himself at. Even after that, they continue to diminish at black rights. If we kept going in this direction, and kept on diminishing -
Conclusion(part two)
the rights of slaves, everything would have been different. Such as we wouldn't have won WWII without blacks. How would you feel if your rights were picked at, until you were besically property? I know I wouldn't like it. At all.
