


“At the later end of August 1619 A
Dutch Man of war arrived . . . Not
anything but 20 and odd Negroes,
which the Governor . . . Bought for
victuals”
This is the standard depiction of the
arrival of Africans in British America
But once again, as with Smiths
capture, we have to ask is this the full
story
Where
did the ship
come from?
Who was captain?
Why was the ship
in Virginia?



1650 approx 5% of black pop. was free
1668 approximately 30% were free
A population whose property could bring not
only freedom but respect and standing in the
community
The story of Anthony Johnson
Johnson arrived 1621 aboard James
 referred to simply as “Antonio a
Negro,”

 Bennett
Plantation
 south side of the James River
General muster of the inhabitants
in 1625
 appeared as Anthony a “servant,”

 Survived
1622 Indian attack
 1622 Margret and John brought
“Mary a Negro Woman” to the
Bennet Plantation.
 Became Antony’s wife
 At least four children
 Outlived husband by several
years.
 Mary
and Anthony lived
together for over forty years
 Johnson’s
movements between
1625 and 1650 remain a mystery
 By 1650 “Antonio a Negro” had
become Anthony Johnson
 Possibly
somebody called
Johnson helped them gain their
freedom?
 Now
had an English name
 Johnsons
acquired an
estate on the
eastern shore
 Primarily
 1651
cattle
claimed
250 acres of land
on Pungtoeague
Creek
 1653
fire ripped through
plantation
 Johnsons applied for relief
 Local court concluded that
 without assistance they
would have difficulty
“obtayneing of their
Livelyhood”





Remarkable event in a couple of ways
Firstly, although described as a “negro”
in the court proceedings Anthony
Johnson was treated no differently to
any white man of the era
Second aspect little more complicated
Mary and two daughters were excused
from paying
“Taxes and charges in Northampton
County for public use” for “their
naturall lives”
 1)
Taxes in 17th c Virginia were
on people, not on land or
livestock.
 2) definition of a ‘tithable’
someone obliged to pay taxes
 1620 “all those that worke in the
grounde”
 Intended to exempt white
women, who would be in the
house not the field



1645 tightened up the law
“And because there shall be no
scruple or evasion who are and who
are not tithbale, It is resolved by this
Grand Assembly, That all negro men
and women, and all other men from
the age of 16 to 60 shall be adjudged
tithable”
Court, in 1653, therefore recognized
Mary and her daughters as equal to
white women
 1654
John son in court again
 Captain
Samuel Gouldsmith
“a Negro called John Casor”
 Claimed he had entered
Virginia as an indentured
servant
 Johnson held him illegally

Two white planters Robert and
George Parker took Casor’s side
 Robert Parker led Casor to his own
farm
 After a family discussion Johnson
decided to release Casor and
 “doe promise accordinge to the
custome of servants to paye unto
the said john Casor corne and
leather”


3 months later Johnson changed his mind

Asked Northhampton court to




punish Robert Carter for meddling with his
property and reverse the decision
March 8, 1655 court ruled that
“the said Mr. Robert Parker most unjustly
kept the said Negro . . . (Jno Casor) from
his master Anthony Johnson . . . And the
said Jno Casor Negro shall bee returned
unto the service of his Master Anthony
Johnson”
In addition the courts ordered Parker to
pay the costs
 In
1660 the entire family moved
to Somerset County Maryland
 Where they again set up as
independent free planters
 By the end of the century the
family dropped from the
records


Problems with Indians major factor
in Virginia development
Powhatan confederacy more
powerful than English
 Approx.



10,000 in 1620
Initial antagonism,
disputes over property Smith’s role
situation calmer in 1610s Rolfe
marries Pocahontas


Powhatan
sees English as
 Potential allies
versus interior
tribes
 trade for weapons
etc
 never imagines
they would be
threat to him
Powhatan dies
1622
 Succeeded by
brother
Openchancanoug
h
 more hostile to
English, especially
encroachment on
lands
 Role of tobacco

Attack on Good Friday (March
22) 1622
 kills 347 whites, out of 1200
 Opechancanough thought
English would leave
 But attack cements negative
image of Indians among English
 Makes their later destruction
easier to live with







Virginia in 1624 in turmoil
Endured disease, war, death
Only about 1000 whites in Va after
17yrs of colonisation, settlement still in
balance.
Still recovering from attack
Politically unstable, due in part to
actions of Jope et al
Virginia Company loses charter in
1624
Pilgrims and Puritans



New England known to have harsher
climate than Virginia
Marked differences between New England
and earlier settlements in Virginia
5 main areas of settlement in New
England between 1620 and 1638.





Plymouth 1620
Massachusetts Bay 1630
Connecticut 1634
Rhode Island 1636
New Haven 1638.





Henry VIII, 1534, split from Roman
Catholic Church
People after this wanted to reform the
church
Remove rituals, icon, & symbols
Preaching rather than ceremony at the core
of religion
Hampton Court Ceremony 1604
Attempt to resolve issues
 English language bible not much else
 Leads to increase persecution of radicals

East Midlands


Radical religious groups
Know as separatists





Want to separate from church
Most of attention paid to
those in London
But important groups
elsewhere
Babworth, Nottinghamshire
Richard Clifton parson at All
Saints from 1586 to 1605
Forced out


Clifton heads a
little way north
to the village of
Scrooby
Scrooby Manor
the Home of
William
Brewster
 Refuge
population
 Secret church





1605-6 separatists left
Scrooby
Heading to Holland
seeking religious
freedom
1st attempt
 Head out as a group,
betrayed by captain –
fined
2nd attempt
 Head out as group,
problems only half of
men leave
3rd attempt
 Leave individually





Initially settle in
Amsterdam
Have sold or lost
most of property
take work in low
paying manual
positions
After a while move
south to smaller
location
Leyden/Leiden
Gain a little money
 1617
same group fear
 Resumption of
Spanish/Dutch war
 That they will wither on the
vine
 Begin to think of moving on
again
 Seek to voyage to America
 Dismiss James Town, to much
death





Initially try to get deal with Virginia
Company to settle north of James
Town but still within original charter
King James OK’s this, but Company
has no money
Dutch Company offers money and
ships – but will have to settle in Dutch
America
Begin negotiations
Approached by Thomas Weston
representative of investors in London
Investors plan to get charter for
new settlement
 Initially deal was
 Work 4 days for the investors
 Work 2 days for self
 Shortly before leaving, this was
changed
 Separatist at this time have no
choice

Come to Southampton on a boat
named the Speedwell
 Met up with the Mayflower
supplies loaded and they prepared
to leave
 Speedwell sprang a leak
 Put into Dartmouth – repaired
 Put into Plymouth
 Mayflower will eventually leave
alone

 Sept
1620, 102 settlers leave
Plymouth on Mayflower
 Not all on the people on the
ship were separatists
 Many were merchants and
adventurers - “strangers”




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Like all Atlantic crossings this one was
hard
Scurvy hits when the beer runs out
One crew member and one passenger
die
One baby born, named “Oceanus”
Two months at sea
Lot of sea sickness
Cramped conditions
Nov 1620 sight Cape Cod
 Far north of original destination
 As they have no charter the
separatist

 who
hold a small majority on
board

call for a meeting to set up
government structure for new
colony


Signed by 41 Male
passengers
Agree to work together for
future of colony.





19th C invention
Colonists first land in
Truro
Men spend the next
few weeks exploring
region
Dig up Indian burial
mounds and find
corn
Six weeks later
decided upon
Plymouth as location
for colony
 “They
had no friends to
wellcome them, nor inns to
entertaine and refresh their
weatherbeaten bodys, no
houses or much less towns to
repaire too, to seek for
succoure”



Named Plymouth in 1614 by John Smith
Life is made easy as they settle on old
Pawtuxet land
Pawtuxet wiped out by smallpox/plague
in 1617






After a few days a lone
Indian wanders into camp
Samoset
Speaks English after many
years of trading
Leads to good Indian
relations with
Wampanoags and their
leader Massasoit
Enables settlement to
survive
Though 50% die in first
year including Governor








Samoset introduces
colonists not only to
Massasoit but also to
Squanto
Captured in 1614 by
Captain Thomas Hunt
Travelled through Spain
to England
Servant for John Slaine
Nefoundland Co.
Last of the Pawtuxet
Essential to the survival of
the colony
Helps educate colonists
how to fed the feed the
land




After death of Carver
William Bradford
becomes Governor
Will lead the colony for
many years
3 day feast of
thanksgiving
celebrated Nov 1621
1626 Pilgrims
buyout the London
Adventurers





By 1630 population reached about
300
But in 1628 a ship called the
Abigail arrived on the coast
This ship brought the first of the
Puritans
This group would eventually
exceed and swallow up Plymouth
But we will turn to that later…….

Iroquois are a confederacy of 5 later 6 Nations
Symbolized by their housing
A multi-family dwelling
Longhouse

Not always that way



“Three
sisters”
 Corn, Beans &
Squash
 Arrived in
Northeast pre
1000 A.D.





Became a major part
of life style in
northeast
1536 Cartier visited
Hochelga
When they left the
town gave Cartier
fish & bread
“throwing so much
of it into our
longboats that is
seemed to rain
bread”
Arrival did two things
 1) Brought prosperity,
population, and power
 2) Brought new political factions
 Led to an increase in conflict
 Fueled by “Mourning Wars”

 Never-ending
warfare
An Onondaga chieftan, know to
us today as
 Hayenwathea or Hiawatha
 Lost three daughters
 Tadadaho, an Onondaga
Shaman

 Possibly
responsible
Instead of revenge decided to
break cycle
 Wandered in forests in grief





Deganwidah –
Huron
Eased Hiawatha’s
grief
Words of
condolence and
beads of Wampum
Symbolically
wiping away tears
and returning
wisdom


Rituals became the way in which the Iroquois
dealt with outsiders
Daganwidah and Hiawatha composed “Laws
of Peace”







recorded on a wampum belt
Travelled throughout nations
Mohawk
Oneidas
Cayugas
Senecas
All agreed


Only hold out
Tadadaho



The Onondaga
Shaman
Hiawatha
combed the
snakes out of
his hair
Eased his
torment



5 nations agreed
to unite in
common defense
Each nation
retained control of
local affairs
But acted through
the Grand Council
at Onondaga for
common or
national affairs



1744 Treaty of
Lancaster,
Pennsylvania
Canasatego,
Onondaga Sachem
Frustrated at
bickering between
Pennsylvania,
Virginia, and
Maryland



“We heartily recommend Union and good
agreement between you…
Our wise forefathers established union and
amity between the Five Nations; this has made
us formidable; this has given us great weight
and authority with out neighbouring nations.
We are a powerful Confederacy; and, by your
observing the same methods our wise
forefathers have taken, you will acquire fresh
strength and power.”

It would be very strange thing if Six
Nations of ignorant savages should
be capable of a scheme for such a
union, and be able to execute it in
such a manner as that is has
subsisted ages, and that appears
indissoluble; and yet that a like
union should be impracticable for
ten or a dozen English Colonies.
 Benjamin Franklin to James Parker,
1751


RESOLVED BY THE SENATE (THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVESCONCURRING), That:
(1) The Congress, on the occasion of the 200th
Anniversary of the signing of the United States
Constitution, acknowledges the historical debt
which this Republic of the United States of America
owes to the Iroquois Confederacy and other Indian
Nations for their demonstration of enlightened,
democratic principles of government and their
example of a free association of independent Indian
nations;