Most Americans think they know the history of slavery because it has been an abhorrent part of the American narrative taught in schools, portrayed in Hollywood, and mentioned frequently in the media.
But here is something you probably didn’t know: The first recorded American slave owner was a black man.
Anthony Johnson came to colonial America in the 1600s. He worked as an indentured servant to a tobacco farmer in Virginia. In colonial times servants typically worked under a contract of up to seven years to pay off their passage, room and board, and then their “freedom dues” — materials they would need to start life as a free person.
They were then released after the contract expired, with many of the former servants receiving land and equipment. This was the case for Anthony Johnson, who came to America under the name Antonio from Angola.
After his contract expired, he eventually received 250 acres of land. He then started a farm and enlisted the servitude of four white men and one black, who was said to be his son Richard Johnson.
While these contracts did not make one a slave, the case of John Casor — a black servant Johnson later acquired — would set a precedent and change that minor detail forever.
John Casor was working for Anthony Johnson on an indentured contract when he began seeking help from outsiders, claiming that his contract had well expired but Johnson refused to release him.
A neighbor, Robert Parker, brought a civil case against Johnson, demanding Casor be released. Parker intended to help Casor find another indenture contract.
The courts initially ruled in favor of Parker and demanded that Casor be released. Johnson did so, but after stewing in his defeat, he appealed.
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