Black Lives History Timeline: 1619 - Dutch Ship Brings First Slaves to the Colonies

1619 - First Slave Ship Comes to the Colonies

In 1619, the White Lion, a Dutch slave ship, landed in Jamestown, Virigina, where they sold some twenty-odd enslaved people. These people were the first enslaved people in the 13 colonies that would become the US. Before this, there had been other enslaved people in the colony, but all seem to have escaped from their captors. Originally captured by Portuguese ships, the enslaved people had been taken when the ship had been intercepted by two other ships, who had attacked and split the people between their ships. One of these ships was the White Lion. Once in Virigina, it is uncertain if these enslaved people were treated as indentured servants, but if not, it was not long before the darker side of slavery began to raise its head. In 1640, a court case made an enslaved man his master or master's heirs property until his death. Apparently the reasoning for this was that he was not Christian, though that reason would fall to the side soon enough, making skin tone the true reason for slavery, and not belief, which could easily be changed in time, and often was by masters as time went on. Either way, this was the beginning of the enslavement of Black people in the colonies, and every other decision about slavery and Black people evolved from this moment.

Sources:

• Wikipedia: The White Lion
• PBS: Arrival of First Africans to Virginia Colony
• History: 400 years ago, enslaved Africans first arrived in Virginia
• History: First enslaved Africans arrive in Jamestown, setting the stage for slavery in North America
• Smithsonian Magazine: The Misguided Focus on 1619 as the Beginning of Slavery in the U.S. Damages Our Understanding of American History
• USA Today: 1619: 400 years ago, a ship arrived in Virginia, bearing human cargo
• 400 Years Ago, First Enslaved Africans Arrived in US
• 1619: The first Africans arrive in the New World
• The First Africans

So there we are. Ending at the "beginning." But as one of the above articles says, it really wasn't even the beginning. Just the beginning of this sort of slavery in what would eventually be the United States. All of Europe is complicit. Some places more than others. But regardless of where you come from, your ancestors were probably in some way affected by the slave trade. None of us can call ourselves innocent in this. For 400 years in the US, Black people suffered under the effects of slavery and racism. All of us need to stand up and stop this now. In fact, it's long past time.