John Casor Becomes First Slave In America To Anthony Johnson
The System of Slavery Begins to Evolve
March 08, 1655 - John Casor Becomes First Slave In America To Anthony Johnson As A Result Of Civil Suit
Anthony Johnson became the first documented "slave for life" sentenced without having committed a crime first on March 8, 1655 when a judge awarded him to free black, Anthony Johnson.
Anthony Johnson (c. 1600 – 1670)
The first Africans arrived in Jamestown around August 29, 1619 borne on the ship White Lion. Thought to have originated in Angola, the Africans had contracts of indenture sold to local residents. Many historians believe Anthony Johnson was on that ship, though there other theories about his origin, one of which is that he arrived on the James River in 1621. Johnson worked out the terms of his indenture sometime between 1625 and 1640 became a free man. He and his wife Mary, a free black woman, acquired property in the Northampton County and began farming.
John Casor
Casor had been working as an indentured servant for Johnson. Sometime in 1653, he filed a freedom suit against Johnson, alleging that Johnson had kept Casor working past the date of his contract. When he inquired about the expiration date on the contract, Asor said that Johnson told him there wasn't one. Asor left Johnson's farm and signed an indenture contract with another colonist named Robert Parker.
Legal Case
The first judge ruled in favor of Casor, claiming that the terms of his indenture to Johnson had completed and he was free to contract with Parker. On appeal, another judge awarded Casor to Johnson as a servant for life. This ruling set two precedents. Though people had been sentenced to perpetual slavery before, it had been as punishment for a crime. The judge in this case awarded Casor as the result of a civil suit. It also established that free blacks could own slaves. The institution of slavery had begun to evolve.