History 20: American civilization before 1877.
With the arrival of twenty Africans at Jamestown, Virginia in 1619, the history of .
African-Americans in this country began. At first, they were indentured servants as were many .
white colonists. Ignorance and prejudice soon changed the African's status from servant to .
slave.
From their arrival in 1619 to approximately 1640, the indentured African servant .
worked side by side in the fields along with their white counterparts. They socialized together .
and even married and had children. In Virginia and Maryland African servants gained freedom .
by fulfilling their contracts or after becoming Christians. It was not until the 1660's that .
Maryland and Virginia passed laws making Africans slaves for life. Carolina and the middle .
states enslaved Africans as well. By 1750 Georgians were allowed to own slaves.
The Africans were brought to America via the "middle passage". Between 1500 and .
1800, European traders shipped about ten million Africans to the New World. Most went to .
the West Indies or Latin American colonies. About five percent went to the colonies in .
America. Ships carrying goods such as rum and fish left New England for the west coast of .
Africa. There they were traded for Africans. Then the ships continued on the "middle .
passage" to the west Indies to trade Africans for molasses, then on to New England disterilleries .
to make rum from the molasses. The Africans remaining on board were sold to the colonies.
Life was a series of terrible experiences for the African slave from the trip to America .
onward. Oloudah Equiano, who was renamed Gustavus Vassa, was kidnapped in Africa, .
sailed the "middle passage" to America, eventually gained his freedom and moved to England. .
He wrote about the horror of the "middle passage" in his book, The Interesting Narrative of the .
Life of Oloudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa the African. Vassa stated, "The shrieks of the .
