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Introduction to The Progression and Regression of Slavery and the Life of Anthony Johnson
This timeline will demonstate progression and the regression of the lives and rights of slaves and indentured servants. The first two events will show the progression of their lives until they abruptly stop and the regression begins. Anthony Johnson, originally Antonio a Negro, is an indentured servant who made a place for himself in the hardest era for his people. -
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Life of Anthony Johnson and Sons
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Anthony Johnson Arrives as an Indentured Servant
Anthony Johnson arrives in Virginia as an indentured Servant, not as a slave. He was put into servitude on the Bennett Plantation. By Anthony Johnson beginning his life in Virginia as an indentured Servant he was not bound to serve for life, this will help immensely in his future. -
Anthony Johnson Gains Land and Slaves(Part 1)
After finishing his term as an indentured slave for 20 years Anthony then bought the freedom of his wife. Now they needed a place to live and a way to make money. So he buys land and slaves. Isn't it odd that a former servant would want to own slaves? Well actually, it isn't, the social pressure to fit in back then was too important. Anthony wanted to be seen as an Englishman, not a Negro. Also having slaves meant almost free labour. -
Anthony Johnson Gains Land and Slaves (Part 2)
What self-respecting business man of that era would turn that down? As he gained more slaves and livestock the progression stopped, and the nightmare for all Africans had begun. -
The First Step Towards Regression (Part 1)
It was becoming common knowledge too the slaves that there was a loophole in their terrible fate... Baptism. If the slaves changed religion and were baptized, it was no longer morally right for them to serve for life. Once discovering this the Englishmen were afraid that they would loose all their slaves due too this loophole, so they destroyed it. They decided that baptism does NOT exempt from bondage. This is the first step down a long path that would spell disaster for the slaves. -
The First Step Towards Regression (Part 2)
Click on this link to go deeper into the effects of everlasting bondage.This is the first stab at the hope of the Slaves and it took a large chunk out. This is where the Englishmen started to act on their greed and need for power. The Englishmen wanted control over the slaves and their lives. -
Casual Killing of Slaves (Part 2)
So to avoid having to persecute their fellow Englishmen they created a law that allowed for an Englishman to "accidentally" kill a slave while punishing them without facing charges. -
Caual Killing of Runaway Slaves (Part 1)
This is where fear starts to come into play. The owners were having issues at this point in time with slaves running away, so they needed to catch these run-away slaves and scare the others so it would never happen again. But how could they make an example of someone if all they could do was give the runaway a stern talking too? So the Englishmen used physical punishment instead, but sometimes the Englishmen went a little bit overboard and ended up killing the slaves during their punishment. -
Slaves as Property (Part 2)
The slaves were now utterly dependent on the Englishmen for, as little as it might be, health and protection. -
Slaves as Property (Part 1)
This was the final step on the Englishmen’s long path to the eventual societal corruption of morals. People are now property. As of that day in time, slaves were not fellow humans, but now toys, to be played with as the owner pleased. If the Englishmen "accidentally" broke their toy, it wasn't a big deal; they would just go to the store and buy a new one. They were now completely and totally in control of the slaves’ lives, the slaves were puppets in a cruel, twisted show. -
The Conclusion
Throughout the history of mankind we have not heeded warnings given to us by the past. The warnings of our constant need for power and greed have infected our goverments, our people, and our cultures for centuries. Yet each time the warning resurfraces we have tossed it aside and said,"Like that will ever happen to me." Well it will, and it has. So in a world of ignorance,will you be knowlegable and heed warnings from the past? And more importantly, will society?
