On August 20, 1619, “20 and odd” Angolans, kidnapped by the Portuguese, arrive in the British colony of Virginia and are then bought by English colonists. The arrival of the enslaved Africans in the New World marks a beginning of two and a half centuries of slavery in North America.
Founded in 1607, the Virginia Colony was home to about 700 people by 1619. The first enslaved Africans arrived at Point Comfort, in what is today known as Fort Monroe. Most of their names, as well as the exact number who remained at Point Comfort, have been lost to history.
As was quite common, many captives aboard the ship died during the crossing. Then, as it approached its destination, the ship was attacked by two privateer ships, they kidnapped up to 60 of the enslaved people.
The arrivals were technically sold as indentured servants. Indentured servants were forced to work with no pay for a set amount of time, often to pay off a debt, and could legally expect to become free at the end of the contract. Some of them did eventually obtain their freedom, but there were few of them.
The arrival at Point Comfort marked a new chapter in the history of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The trade uprooted roughly 450,000 — their labor and that of their descendants was crucial to the economies of the British colonies and, later, the United States.
Resources: https://www.americanheritage.com/1619-year-shaped-america#1
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