Black History Timeline: 1619-1696 – The Dawn of Slavery and Resistance in Colonial America

July 8, 2019

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Introduction

This Black History Timeline explores the pivotal events and figures that shaped Black history during a crucial period, from the arrival of the first Africans in British North America to the emergence of African American communities. We highlight significant occasions and figures that helped define the trajectory of Black history during this critical time.

Context

This era saw significant social, political, and economic upheavals as exploration, colonization, and the transatlantic slave trade altered global dynamics. African cultures, traditions, and resilience significantly influenced the African diaspora’s experience.

This timeline presents a comprehensive view of the key events that shaped Black history during this period. Each entry provides a clear understanding of what happened, its significance, and additional details to enhance comprehension.

1619 The first African slaves arrive in Virginia.

Event: Arrival of the first Africans in Virginia.
Significance: Marks the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade in the English colonies.
Additional Details: The Africans’ arrival in Virginia was a direct result of the transatlantic slave trade, as they were forcibly taken from Angola in West Central Africa and brought to the colony against their will.

1640 John Punch, a black indentured servant, ran away with two white indentured servants, James, Gregory, and Victor.

Event: John Punch’s punishment.
Significance: Punch was sentenced to serve Virginia planter Hugh Gwyn for life, becoming the first legally documented slave in Virginia (and the U.S.).
Additional Details: After the three were captured, Punch’s sentence was significantly harsher than those of his white counterparts, highlighting the racial disparities in the colonial legal system.

1641 Some slaves now have legal rights thanks to the passage of the Massachusetts Body of Liberties.

Event: Massachusetts Body of Liberties.
Significance: Granted some legal rights to those in servitude, though it did not end slavery.
Additional Details: Despite not abolishing slavery, the Body of Liberties marked an early recognition of the rights of individuals in servitude, setting a precedent for future legal reforms.

1644 The Colony of Maryland enacted a law forbidding the union of Black and White people.

Event: Maryland Law prohibiting interracial unions.
Significance: The first law of its kind in the English colonies to reinforce racial divisions and support slavery.
Additional Details: This law was part of a broader effort to maintain the racial hierarchy and prevent the mixing of races, thereby preserving the institution of slavery.

1652 The first recorded slave revolt in English North America took place in Gloucester County, Virginia.

Event: First recorded slave revolt.
Significance: Signified resistance to slavery, and demonstrated the courage and determination of enslaved people.
Additional Details: The revolt involved enslaved Africans and Irish indentured servants in Gloucester County, Virginia, who rebelled against their masters and fled into the surrounding wilderness.

1654 Court ruling on Anthony Johnson and his servant, John Casor.

Event: John Casor became the first legal slave in America.
Significance: Established a legal precedent for lifetime slavery based on race.
Additional Details: The Northampton County court ruled against Casor and declared him a slave for life under Anthony Johnson, who was himself a former African indentured slave. The ruling stated because Africans were not English, they were not covered by English Common Law.

1660 A monopoly on the English slave trade was granted to the Royal African Company.

Event: Royal African Company granted monopoly.
Significance: Increased the number of Africans brought into slavery in the English colonies.
Additional Details: This monopoly allowed the Royal African Company the sole authority to ship Africans into slavery in the English colonies, consolidating the slave trade under a single entity.

1662 Massachusetts reverses a ruling dating back to 1652, which allowed blacks to train in arms.

Event: Restrictions on Black people bearing arms
Significance: Demonstrated growing fears of Black rebellion and resistance.
Additional Details: New York, Connecticut, and New Hampshire passed similar laws restricting the bearing of arms, reflecting a widespread concern among colonial authorities about the potential for armed uprisings among the enslaved population.

1662 Virginia law, using the principle of partus sequitur ventrem, said that children in the colony were born into their mother’s social status.

Event: Virginia law establishes hereditary slavery.
Significance: Children born to enslaved mothers were classified as slaves, regardless of their father’s race or status, contrary to English common law.
Additional Details: This legal principle ensured the perpetuation of slavery across generations and solidified the institution in Virginia.

1663 Maryland legalized slavery.

Event: Maryland legalizes slavery.
Significance: Further entrenched the institution of slavery in the English colonies.
Additional Details: Maryland’s legalization of slavery marked a significant step in codifying the practice into law, joining other colonies in solidifying slavery as a fundamental aspect of their economies and societies.

1664 New York and New Jersey legalized slavery.

Event: New York and New Jersey legalize slavery.
Significance: Further entrenched the institution of slavery in the English colonies.
Additional Details: By legally recognizing and protecting the practice of slavery, New York and New Jersey contributed to the widespread entrenchment of slavery throughout the English colonies.

1664 Maryland is the first colony to take legal action against marriages between white women and black men.

Event: Maryland bans interracial marriage.
Significance: Prevented the mixing of races
Additional Details: This law aimed to reinforce racial divisions and maintain the purity of the white race, thereby preserving the social hierarchy and the institution of slavery.

1664 The State of Maryland mandates lifelong servitude for all black slaves.

Event: Maryland mandates lifelong servitude for black slaves.
Significance: Defined enslavement as a lifelong condition based on race.
Additional Details: The mandating of lifelong servitude for all black slaves solidified the institution of slavery as a permanent and inescapable condition for individuals of African descent in Maryland.

1666 Maryland passes a fugitive slave law.

Event: Maryland passes a fugitive slave law.
Significance: Created a legal mechanism for slaveholders to reclaim runaway slaves.
Additional Details: This law authorized and supported the capture and return of escaped slaves, making it more difficult for enslaved individuals to escape to freedom and further entrenching the institution of slavery.

1667 Virginia declares that Christian baptism will not alter a person’s status as a slave.

Event: Christian baptism will not alter a person’s status as a slave.
Significance: Ensured that religious conversion would not lead to manumission, preserving the institution of slavery.
Additional Details: This declaration ensured that slaveholders would not face legal or religious challenges to their ownership of enslaved individuals, regardless of whether those individuals converted to Christianity.

1668 New Jersey passes a fugitive slave law.

Event: New Jersey passes a fugitive slave law.
Significance: Reinforces the legal structures supporting slavery and the recapture of those who sought freedom.
Additional Details: This law served to strengthen the legal framework supporting the institution of slavery in New Jersey and made it more difficult for enslaved individuals to escape to freedom.

1670 The State of Virginia prohibits free blacks and Indians from keeping Christian white servants.

Event: Restrictions on Free Blacks and Indians
Significance: Further limited opportunities for free people of color, reinforcing racial hierarchy.
Additional Details: This measure aimed to prevent free blacks and Indians from gaining any economic or social power, thereby maintaining the racial hierarchy and preserving the dominance of white colonists.

1672 Royal African Company is founded in England, allowing slaves to be shipped from Africa to the colonies in North America and the Caribbean.

Event: Royal African Company founded in England
Significance: England entered the slave trade
Additional Details: It was led by the Duke of York, who was the brother of Charles II and later took the throne as James II.

1674 New York declares that blacks who converted to Christianity after their enslavement will not be freed.

Event: Conversion to Christianity Not a Path to Freedom (New York)
Significance: Reinforced that enslavement was a status independent of religious conversion.
Additional Details: This declaration clarified that baptism did not grant enslaved individuals any right to freedom, solidifying the legal and social structures of slavery in New York.

1676 Both free and enslaved African Americans fought in Bacon’s Rebellion along with English colonists.

Event: African Americans Participate in Bacon’s Rebellion
Significance: Highlighted social unrest and alliances across racial lines.
Additional Details: This rebellion, led by Nathaniel Bacon, involved individuals from various social and racial backgrounds who united against the colonial government, underscoring the complex dynamics of the time.

1680 The General Court of Massachusetts passed a law requiring ships carrying slaves to obtain permission from the governor.

Event: Massachusetts Regulates Slave Importation
Significance: Marked an early effort to regulate the slave trade, though it did not abolish it.
Additional Details: John Usher, John Saffin, and others circumvent the Royal African Company’s monopoly to import slaves into Massachusetts.

1682 All servants except Turks and Moors, blacks, racially mixed people, or Indians whose parents and native country are not Christian are to be treated as slaves.

Event: Definition of Enslaved People
Significance: Ensured that nearly all non-Christians were to be enslaved.
Additional Details: No owner or master should let any black or slave that doesn’t belong to him remain on his plantation for more than 4 hours at a time

1682 New York enacts its first slave codes restricting the freedom of movement and trade for enslaved people.

Event: New York Enacts Slave Codes
Significance: Codified restrictions, limiting enslaved people’s rights and freedoms.
Additional Details: These codes regulated behavior and movement, solidifying slaveholder control.

1682 Virginia declares that all imported black servants are slaves for life.

Event: Virginia Declares Imported Black Servants Slaves for Life
Significance: Solidified the legal foundation for chattel slavery.
Additional Details: Removed ambiguity, ensuring enslaved status for life upon import.

1684 New York makes it illegal for slaves to sell goods.

Event: New York Restricts Economic Activity of Enslaved People
Significance: Further restricted economic opportunities and autonomy.
Additional Details: Prohibited trade, preventing wealth accumulation and solidifying dependence.

1690 By this year, all English colonies in America have enslaved Africans.

Event: Slavery in All English Colonies
Significance: Demonstrated the pervasive nature of slavery throughout the colonies.
Additional Details: This underscored how integral slavery had become.

1691 Virginia enacts a new law punishing marriages between whites and blacks or Native Americans.

Event: Virginia Law Punishes Interracial Relationships
Significance: Further entrenched racial discrimination.
Additional Details: Children of such unions became property of the church for 30 years.

1691 South Carolina passes the first comprehensive slave codes.

Event: South Carolina Passes Comprehensive Slave Codes
Significance: Provided a detailed legal framework for controlling enslaved people.
Additional Details: Established detailed rules for all aspects of enslaved individuals’ lives

1691 County justices were authorized to send out armed men to apprehend runaway slaves, and owners would be compensated if the slave were killed.

Event: Authority to Apprehend Runaway Slaves
Significance: Increased the ability to use violence on slaves because owners were able to kill them
Additional Details: A slave that ran away were to be killed.

1691 If a white person were to marry a person who was black, racially mixed, or Indian, the couple had to leave Virginia within three months; fines for a free white woman producing a racially mixed child and servitude for the woman if the fine is not paid.

Event: Consequences for Interracial Marriage and Manumission (Virginia)
Significance: This solidified the racial caste system.
Additional Details: Virginia law bans interracial marriages, and also prohibits whites from freeing blacks or mulattoes without paying to have them removed from the colony

1695 Rev. Samuel Thomas establishes the first school for African Americans in Charleston, South Carolina.

Event: First School for African Americans
Significance: Signified early efforts to provide education to enslaved people.
Additional Details: This school represented a rare opportunity for education.

1696 The Royal African Trade Company loses its monopoly, and New England colonists enter the slave trade.

Additional Details: More New England colonists participated in the slave trade.

Event: End of Royal African Company’s Monopoly

Significance: Increased competition in the slave trade, expanding slavery in the colonies.

1619 The first African slaves arrive in Virginia.

Event: Arrival of the first Africans in Virginia.
Significance: Marks the beginning of the transatlantic slave trade in the English colonies.
Additional Details: The Africans’ arrival in Virginia was a direct result of the transatlantic slave trade, as they were forcibly taken from Angola in West Central Africa and brought to the colony against their will.