[log in to unmask] wrote: > oh, it's a good thing many of you all have your "advanced" degrees so you > can make fun of them. > > > J South > > > > Ok. Here's what we're talking about: the Wikipedia article on Anthony Johnson, an early African resident of colonial Virginia, follows in its entirety-- Anthony Johnson (American Colonial) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Anthony Johnson (? - 1670) was an early black resident of the Virginia Colony. He was one of the original 20 Africans brought to Jamestown in 1619 as an indentured servant. On records from Jameston, he is referred to as "Antonio a Negro". In 1623, he purchased his freedom and by 1651 he was prosperous enough to import five "servants" of his own, for which he was granted 250 acres as "headrights". According to the earliest known court records, slavery was first established in Virginia in 1654, when Johnson convinced the court in Northampton County that he was entitled to the lifetime services of John Casor, also a black man. Claiming that he had been imported as an indentured servant, Casor attempted to transfer what he argued was his remaining time of service to Robert Parker, a white, but Johnson insisted that "he had ye Negro for his life". The court ruled that "seriously consideringe and maturely weighing the premisses, doe fynde that the saide Mr. Robert Parker most unjustly keepeth the said Negro from Anthony Johnson his master....It is therefore the Judgement of the Court and ordered That the said John Casor Negro forthwith returne unto the service of the said master Anthony Johnson, And that mr. Robert Parker make payment of all charges in the suit." The unfortunate defendant in the court action, John Casor, thus became the first individual in the Thirteen Colonies known to be legally declared a slave. [edit] Sources * Virginia, Guide to The Old Dominion, WPA Writers' Program, Oxford University Press, NY, 1940 (p. 378) * PBS * A PBS article about Johnson's Life ************************************************************************* Notice first that the article relies on one outdated, non-scholarly book (the WPA guide to Virginia), plus a couple of PBS websites. No reference is made to any of the more recent scholarship addressing the life of Johnson and his significance for the early history of slavery and race in the colony. Not surprisingly, there are a number of errors. The "original 20 Africans" were actually "20. and odd" according to the only report of their arrival, and we have no evidence whatsoever that they were considered "indentured servants." This is a moot point anyway, since there is no evidence that this early group included Anthony Johnson. There is instead some indication that he arrived in the colony in 1621. But we do not know that Johnson "purchased his freedom" in 1623. The emphasis of the entry thereafter is on one 1654 court case involving Johnson's "slave," John Casor. The details are reported accurately, but the author of this piece is incorrect in saying that "according to the earliest known court records, slavery was first established in Virginia in 1654" and that "John Casor thus became the first individual in the Thirteen Colonies known to be legally declared a slave." That statement should instead point to John Punch, an African runaway servant, who was sentenced to lifetime slavery in 1640 (and as far as we know had no connection to Anthony Johnson). Or this brief article should be more consistent with the sources we do (and don't) have and conclude that the legal shaping of slavery occurred over the course of several decades--it was not something that happened with a single county court decision. There's a lot more that could've been said about Johnson and his family. What is said is riddled with errors, small and large. The innocent Wikipedia user will be seriously misled by this entry. There are problems with many entries. That real historical scholarship goes through various processes of peer review is a matter of great importance. We can waste time chipping away at the inaccuracies on sites like Wikipedia, or we can do something both easier and more sensible: we can refer people to worthwhile and much more accurate materials in print or online. Doug Deal History/SUNY Oswego