The first record of African slavery in
British colonial America was made in 1619. The
White Lion, . . . The
White Lion had been damaged first by the battle and then more severely in a great storm when it came ashore at Old Point Comfort, site of present day
Fort Monroe in
Virginia. Though the colony was in the middle of a period later known as "The Great Migration" (1618–1623), during which its population grew from 450 to 4,000 residents, extremely high mortality rates from
disease,
malnutrition, and
war with Native Americans kept the population of able-bodied laborers low.
[11] With the ship in severe need of repairs and supplies and the colonists being in need of able-bodied workers, the English pirates traded human cargo for food and services.
. . . .
The transformation from indentured servitude to racial slavery happened gradually. There were no laws regarding slavery early in Virginia's history. However, by 1640, the Virginia courts had sentenced at least one black servant to slavery.
In 1654,
John Casor, an African, became the first legally recognized slave in the present United States. A court in
Northampton County ruled against Casor, declaring him
property for life, "owned" by the black colonist
Anthony Johnson. Since persons with African origins were not English citizens by birth, they were not necessarily covered by
English Common Law. . . .