The Birth of a New World and the Quest for Freedom

The Birth of a New World and the Quest for Freedom The first permanent British settlement in America was founded in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. Twelve years later, twentyAfricans arrived on the Atlantic shores to work as indentured servants. Their tenure ranged from four to seven years before receiving their freedom. The concept of permanent enslavementin the colonies would not come until forty-one years later when the Virginia colony enacted laws of permanent forced servitude. The other colonies soon followed their lead as Blacks became the property of their White owners to be used, abused, and sold at the master's whim. The Quakers of Pennsylvania were the first to stand in opposition to slavery.

It was they who drafted the first anti-slavery document in 1688. This would begin a tradition in the North that stood against the continued enslavement of African Blacks. Nonetheless, the number of slaves brought to America steadily increased each year until shortly before the Civil War. During a period that spanned some 240 years (1619-1859), African slaves were ferried across the Atlantic to an unsettling future of forced servitude in America. These were not, however, the first Black people to arrive on the America continent. At the start of the 17th century, tens of thousands of Blacks had already arrived as slaves to Spanish conquerors of Mexico.

Some of them were located in Florida where the first permanent European settlement was established in St. Augustine, Florida in 1565. Most of the Blacks, however, were located in Texas. No, they were not initially part of the giant network of slaves that would be controlled by the British colonies. Nonetheless, their descendants are as much a part of the American fabric as any other African American. The discovery of America created enormous growth in the economies of the world.

The Atlantic trade route known as the Triangular trade route between Africa, the West Indies, and America brought about a prosperity the world had never known. The toll on the African continent, however, was devastating to most of its peoples. For seven hundred years, Muslim Arabs had previously ravaged the continent capturing slaves throughout Northern Africa. Now, the rest of Africa would be ravaged byWhite Europeans from Portugal, Spain, Britain, Holland, and other Western European nations.

The total number of slaves brought to the West was approximately 11 million. Millions more were either killed in the quest for their capture, or taken to Europe or the Middle East to be sold into slavery. The mortality rate during the sea travel alone was more than 20% throughout the history of the slave trade to the Americas. The logs from one ship indicated nearly half of its cargo of slaves had died as the result  of dysentery. Slaves who were found to be sick were often thrown over board to avoid widespread contamination.

This torturous adventure of two to three monthson the high seas has been coined the Middle Passage -- The second leg of the Triangular route from Africa to the WestIndies. White indentured servants and Indian slaves were initially used for labor on the farm. Many, however, fell to diseases such asmalaria and yellow fever. Most of the Black slaves were immune to these diseases due to a trait now known as Sickle cell anemia. The demand for Black slaves, therefore, increased dramatically due to their longevity.

From the time the first slave ships docked in Jamestown, Virginia, slaves began fleeing the region into Indian territory. The punishment for fleeing was often quite harsh in all of the Continental colonies. Most of the slaves were branded like cattle, often in the face. Those who were caught, faced severe beatings or death. Some were even required to wear metal dog collars, or were chained to other slaves to prevent their escape. New races of people were born as Indian and fugitive Black slaves intermarried.

Blacks quickly assimilated into Indian cultures. The largest mixed tribe in America was the Seminoles from Florida. Blacks became major forces in as Black and Native American Indians became one people. Blacks became leaders, interpreters, and great warriors of these peoples. When fighting the White man with the native Indians they had more to lose then their lives. What they feared mostwas the return to slavery.