1619, ship over arrived carrying stolen African People taken from angola. Here, they were sold and sold again. The first enslaved African People who were not granted the same freedoms that would be given to white landowning they joined the thousands of virginias first people, the members of the Virginian Indian tribes who would also wait centuries to have the same freedoms. These commemorations of the First Representative Assembly in the free world, we have to remember who it included and who did not. Virginia,e paradox of of america, of our representative democracy. A full accounting demands that we confront and discuss those aspects of our history. It demands that we look not just in time for hundred years in the past, but at how our commonwealth and country of all dover the course of those four centuries. Over they evolved course of those four centuries. Joining us now is cassandra newbyalexander. She teaches at norfolk state university. We appreciate you being with us here on cspan television and on cspan American History tv as we look at back look back at the events of august of 6019. Thank you for being with us. Guest thank you. Host the rehearsal is also going on in the background, so you will see news hear music. Explain the significance of what happened and physically where you are located in terms of what we saw 400 years ago. Guest im going to begin with the last question. Virginia hampton hampton, virginia. Specifically, this is the site of what they called old point comfort. This is where all of the ships coming in from ocean would come in, doc, offload supplies ck, offload supplies and personnel and others. This was the site where the first africans from West Central Africa arrived in the Jamestown Colony. This is a significant time period, because this is the beginning of the african presence in what we would later call the United States of america. And, we would really see them contributing not only their skills, their talents, but also their fight for freedom and equality began right here in hampton, virginia. Host if you could, explain the journey they took from africa and how they ended up at your location, point comfort, in hampton, virginia. Guest sure. Controllingse were a port called lawanda in todays angola. This is the west central post, where there were a number of kingdoms. One of the most dominant kingdoms, i should say two, the kingdom of nadango in the kingdom of the congo. The portuguese wanted to really insert themselves, seeking labor , especially labor they would use as enslaved people. They use mercenaries they hired to raid villages, towns, and cities. It would be in 6019, while the 30 year was going on in europe, between all of the people against spain, such as holland, they were fighting their war predominant, and on the african west african coast, West Central African coast, you had a war for dominance as well. Many of these groups were using mercenaries, so the portuguese used this group and invaded the kingdom of the dung go n adongo. They marched captives to the port of lowanda. They unloaded the chip, where about 300 ship, where about 350 of these captives, these individuals were on ship that set sail to the varick use port where they would be sold veracruz port, where they would be sold in spanish america. And of course, the veracruz coast is mexico today. These individuals had gone through a perilous journey. A lot of people got sick and died. There were even some offloaded because of their illness in jamaica. As they were headed towards the veracruz port, they were attacked by two english privateer vessels. One, the white lion, captained by a former minister, and the other is the treasurer, owned by the Virginia Company of london. They seized about 100 captives aboard the two ships and set sail for virginia. Journey,during that the two ships were separated by three to four days, so the first ship that arrived, the white lion, came here to port comfort who had beens, married to pocahontas and remarried to a woman whose father was william pierce, met the ship. William pierce and john rawls met the ship. 20 john recorded that about arrived in late august of 6019. These people had been kidnapped twice and ended up on these shores as unfree people. There are a lot of people who refer to them as enslaved, but i dispute that particular idea. I say they were unfree because they had been free people before their captivity. When they came to the virginia coastline, they were sold as servants. Three to four days later, another ship arrived. The treasurer. It offloaded a few people, total africans arrived in 1619. About one month after the Virginia Legislature was formed that also created a support system. Years later, that court system would begin to systematically fromthe human rights away those first africans, and later, the legislature would continue that process into turning it into law. We know there were probably about 17 women and 15 men. We dont know their ages. Children,oung, older teenagers, young adults who were forced to come here to the virginia colonies and labor, in some cases, for probably about 20 years if they lived that long. Host we are talking with cassandra newbyalexander, joining us from Hampton Virginia hampton, virginia. She is the dean of the college of liberal arts in norfolk. We are talking about 400 years ago. You are doing a terrific job with a rehearsal going on in the background. We appreciate you being with us for the next hour. That event will be live on American History tv on cspan3 in about 50 minutes. Our phone lines are open. 202 7488000 in the eastern or central time zones. For those of you in the mountain or pacific time zones, 202 7488001. Join in on the conversation. I want to follow up on two quick points. First of all, the first africans arriving in virginia in what was british north america, but others were arriving in florida, which was a spanish territory. The u. S. Was not formed back then, correct . Guest thats correct. Florida would not become a part of the United States until 1819 1890. While we recognize the fact that there were africans in north america long before 1619, but it would be in 1619, after the formation of a government, that we would begin to see the emergence of a society and culture, and people of african dissent were a part of that emerging culture. Our contributed not only to society, their skills, for example. Some were blacksmiths, these were skilled artisans who arrived. They understood architecture, understood agricultural production. In fact, tobacco was the big producer in virginia. Even though it wouldnt on be wouldnt be until the early 18th century that African People would begin to dominate that industry as forced laborers, but their contributions to the 17th century helped the english to understand the importance of op rotation with tobacco. They were part of this Huge Industry of pipe production. You have the english pipe, the native american pipe, and the african pipe. European population had good references depending on where they were, so africans contributed that and contributed their culinary skills. They contributed their techniques for riverboat training. That is something the english were somewhat unfamiliar with. They were familiar more with oceangoing trading. Brought theiralso understanding of how to blend food together in a way that was unique. We would see the formations of what we call southern cuisine, emerging in the 17th century. Most importantly, i say the africans help to contribute to our understanding of what freedom really meant. So, this issue of democracy would be very different if it were not for the people of african descent in their fight for not only freedom but citizenship and equality in this country. Im reminded of what the acclaimed writer Ralph Ellison wrote in a 1970 Time Magazine article where he said what would america be like without africanamericans . I would think about all of that when i think about 2019. This 400 year journey that people of african dissent have been on in america. It is a story not only of oppression, but more importantly, of perseverance and of accomplishment and of being a part of this American Culture and society. About america, what would america really be like without people of african descent . What would our music sound like . What would our language sound like . What would our sense of style be like without people of african dissent . Even the understanding that we have of freedom and equality, and drill democracy, what would that be like without people of african descent . I would say it would be very different. Host our guest is a graduate of the new first the of the university of virginia, writing a number of books on slavery and racial license in america Race Relations in america. If you could quickly answer this question. Who was thinking watch when they brought slaves or africans as slaves to the virginia colonies . Guest i think the people who brought them here were quite aware of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. They were looking for additional laborers. Perhaps it was in their minds that these would be enslaved people. We know they were treated differently from the beginning. Many did not have their names sometime, in some cases, three to four years later. Even then, the lists were incomplete with names. We know there was an antony and isabella. Antonian these people came fluent in portuguese in their native languages. They seemed to learn english very quickly. What is interesting about the relationship was that captain William Tucker became the godfather to their son who is named after him, William Tucker. In the court records, it indicated that captain tucker was this young mans godfather, which means that godfather was never enslaved, that that child was never in bondage because his status took after that of his godfather. He was protected and that status because of the status of his godfather, who was a prominent plantar, who was living in the Indian Village that the english took over that we call hamptons, virginia today. We know also there was a woman in the record who was listed as angela, which i understand is portuguese which could be masculine or feminine, which is why many people refer to her as angela. Jamestown is in the process of excavating around the home she lived in because she was owned by william pierce, who was the fatherinlaw of john rawl. We know from the records that she worked along with william a garden thaton was four acres and she kept the pigs in that area. That suggests she was very much involved with introducing culinary practices that she was familiar with from West Central Africa to that family household, which was a prominent household. They were living in what we called, at that time, new jamestown, which was a settlement, a town outside of the fort of jamestown. She was also that particular site had a huge war. Goods and products, not only came into the colony from the war, but it left from that wharf, but it left that wharf as well. We know there was a man by the name of Anthony Johnson, and his wife mary, both from angola. The two of them would gain their freedom after 20 years, which is the typical time that if you did not have a contract, if you are not an endangered servant, you are simply referred to as a servant, and you would not serve more than 20 years. That was considered a lifetime servitude if it was more than 20 years. They were living on the bennetts plantation, located on the james river. They gained their freedom, also gained land as part of the system given to all servants who had completed their years of servitude, and their land was on the eastern shore. They became prominent landowners. We know this from the court records. They named their plantation angola, in remembrance of their homeland. , with thely prospered courts in the virginia legislative body changed the law. At the time Anthony Johnson was to become a free holder, which means a voter, they made it white only. He owns both black and white servants. Foughta person who through the courts for his rights as a citizen of the colony. Host we know the Tucker Family cemetery is not far from where you are located in Hampton Virginia. It was designated by barack obama reflecting on what happened in 1619. As the first africans arriving in virginia. Mary is joining us from martinsburg martinsville, virginia. Caller yes. Some of the thought africansat captured being sold to the portuguese or africans themselves, would you like to comment on that . Host thank you, mary. Guest sure. Viewve this homogenized when we think of africans, yet when we think of europeans, we recognize the ethnic differences, the different kingdoms and nationstates, but americanhave, in society, a familiarity with the same kind of thing on the continent of ever got. This is the second largest continent on the planet. This is a continent with a very diverse ethnic compilation of people, different nationstates, some of which were warring against each other. When we talk about africans enslaving other africans, i think we need to also talk about how many of the europeans enslaved other europeans. When you think of the word slave, it comes from [indiscernible] there were europeans who had been enslaving other europeans for centuries. The same thing was true on the continent of africa where people who are captured in war were often enslaved, but the enslaved but enslaved did not always have the same meaning on that particular continent. Some people who were enslaved a prominent individual. Some of the people became the children who would be the inheritors of property. So, that term had a very different meaning, but in the case of those who would be transported through the Transatlantic Slave Trade, you started to see, by the 17th century, these wars to acquire slaves. Conducted wars were by many mercenary groups who were being paid. They were outside of the traditional structure of nationstates. They were simply in it for the money. They were attacking these people, and capturing them, and putting them in that transatlantic slave system, in exchange for money or in exchange for weapons and other resources. I hope that helps to provide some Contextual Understanding of what was happening on the continent. Host and of course, 1619, when the first africans arrived in virginia, more than 220 five years later, where you are located served as a key battleground point for the north and south during the height of the civil war. Lets go to chris in alexandria, virginia. Good morning. Caller good morning. My question is to the professor. Your wholeing presentation here is denoting that these were the first africans, the first time america were found in when, actually, and you try to make a distinction between the spanish and english, but really, to the african enslaved people, and i use enslaved because that is the proper term, they were free and then they were brought over here. Realwas Anthony Daviss name that his parents gave him . The fact that you are using anthony davis, johnson, whatever it is, that is a name given to him in slavery. My question is, the africans that were in florida, for 1500 something, how can we perpetrate this commemoration which is really a therial of 1619 being first . Thank you. Host thank you, so much. Guest thank you for your question. No one is denying there were not africans on the north American Continent prior to 1619. The idea really is that even though they were down in florida , that was an area dominated by the spanish. So, this commemoration is about the africans who arrived in the Virginia Colony, also called the Jamestown Colony. The Jamestown Colony was started in 1607. It was the first colony, the First Permanent english settlement. From that colony, we would grow ,nto the 13 original colonies but not until the 19th century would florida become a part of the american nationstates. So, this commemoration is about what happened right here in virginia, in the first colony, and that is why the specific statement is usually the first africans who arrived in the english, north american colony, which is of course the virginia or Jamestown Colony. I hope that clears it up. That does not mean anyone is disputing the accomplishments or story of those who were in florida, which is also an important story. Host as you pointed out, there were a few dozen that arrived initially in august of 1619, leaved to be around this state 400 years ago. Looking at some of the numbers in terms of the slave population in the u. S. In the 17th and andnd 1800s, 1700s 1800s, in 1820, 1. 5 million. At the start of the civil war, in 186018 61, about 4 million. Storyw york times cover is recently looking at the 1619 project, saying on this 400th anniversary of this faithful moment, it is finally time to tell this story truthfully. Joe is joining us from eastpoint, michigan. Good morning. Caller good morning. I would like to comment on an aspect of this slavery thing that is rarely covered. That is that at least 40,000 plus slaves were owned by free blacks in the antebellum south. I have a good book called the freeney the free negro. He lists all of the black slaveowners who owned other blacks. That is rarely ever talked about. So, black people in the south did participate in slavery themselves. So they are owning up to 5050 five slaves and they were not all family members. I lived my entire life as a black man, up to 75 years. Im in my mid80s, and i found out about 10 years ago i am scotch irish. We did a dna test on both sides, the x and y chromosomes. It was all over europe. Not one hit from the african continent. Then, we did the mitochondrial, my mothers dna, and that was most