#OnThisDay: August 20, 1619 – 400th-Year Anniversary of Enslaved Africans Arriving in North America

Today is a notable day in American History, a day that you won’t find in most history books. There will be no parades commemorating the occasion. The President, nor Congress, will not address its significance. No, today celebrates the 400th anniversary of the ugly stain that America was built on: the documented arrival of the first* African slaves in North America.

On this day, August 20th, 1619, 20+ Angolans, kidnap by the Portuguese and shipped over to the “New World” (Amerikkka), were sold to English colonizers in Jamestown, VA.

To be clear, this is not the beginning of Black people’s history in America. Some people mistake this fact for being the first time Africans arrived in North America. That is false. Africans had been travelling the world for hundreds of years prior to this day. In fact, Africans had traveled to the Americas numerous times prior to institutionalized slavery. It is documented that Black Egyptians led by King Ramses III sailed and settled in the Americas back in 1292 BC. It is also noted that King Abubakari II, ruler of the 14th century Mali Empire, led expeditions to the “New World” in 1311 AD. There are numerous artifacts confirming their presence. Others arrived in expeditions, such as Pedro Alonso Nino who was a Black navigator who traveled with Christopher Columbus on his first expedition to the “New World” in 1492. Black people have been in America, as well as other parts of the world longer than our European counterparts. I digress…

On August 20, 1619, the story is as follows: “They were originally kidnapped by Portuguese colonial forces, who sent captured members of the native Kongo and Ndongo kingdoms on a forced march to the port of Luanda, the capital of modern-day Angola. From there, they were ordered on the slave ship San Juan Bautista, which set sail for Veracruz in the colony of New Spain. As was quite common, about 150 of the 350 captives aboard the ship died during the crossing. Then, as it approached its destination, the ship was attacked by two privateer ships, the White Lion and the Treasurer. Crews from the two ships stole up to 60 of the Bautista’s slaves. It was the White Lion which docked at Virginia Colony’s Point Comfort and traded some of the prisoners for food on August 20, 1619.”

Today is not a day to be celebrated, but it most certainly is a day that should not be forgotten. It is important to remind America of how her relationship with Black people is documented throughout history. In order to rectify these injustices, she must first acknowledge them. In the meantime, we can add this to the growing list for the Case For Reparations.

  1. August 20, 1619 – First* African Slaves arrive in Virginia
  2. June 19, 1865 – Juneteenth, the last official day of slavery in the US, (though it was “ended” through the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863.
  3. May 18, 1896 – Plessy V. Ferguson, the Supreme Court case upholding the constitutionality of racial segregation in America. Better known as “Separate But Equal.
  4. 1878-1968 – the Lynching Era
  5. September 22-24, 1906 – Atlanta Race Riots
  6. May 28, July 1-3, 1917 – East St. Louis Race Riots
  7. July 27-August 3, 1919 – Chicago Race Riots
  8. September 28-29, 1919 – Omaha race riots
  9. May 31-June 1, 1921 – Tulsa race Riot
  10. 1932-1972 – The Tuskeegee Experiment
  11. SO MANY OTHER RACE RIOTS
  12. May 17, 1964 – Brown V. Board of Education
  13. July 2, 1964 – Civil Rights Act of 1964
  14. January 20th, 1981- January 20, 1989 – THE ENTIRE REAGAN ERA….

There is so much more but I think you get the point.  Never forget. Never let them forget either!

For more about August 20, 1619, check out here, here, here, and here, .

*It should be noted that the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade began in the 1500s so while this may be the first documented arrival of stolen Africans brought to America to be sold as slaves, this was not the beginning of slavery as a whole nor was it the beginning of slavery in America. There was a Slave Revolt in 1526 in present day South Carolina and there is also a muster roll call (census/inventory/roster) from March 1619 noting the presence of 32 African slaves.

 

 

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