A post submitted by CGI member Morgan.

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https://original.newsbreak.com/@margaret-minnicks-1587632/3028031586301-a-virginia-man-was-one-of-america-s-first-black-slave-owners

It is hard to believe that one of America's first slave owners was a Black man in Virginia. It is interesting that Anthony Johnson was brought to Virginia in 1620 as an indentured servant from Angola, West Africa.

After Johnson served his time and was freed, he used what he had learned from being a slave on a tobacco farm to become a successful tobacco farmer and landowner. He became wealthy enough to own his own slaves. In 1651, he owned 250 acres of land and the services of four White indentured servants and one Black indentured servant.

Johnson's story is interesting because he was a former slave before he become a slave owner himself. In 1654, John Casor, the only Black indentured servant, fled from Johnson's tobacco farm. Johnson went to court to demand the return of Casor. The court ruled in Johnson's favor, and Casor was the first person in the American colonies to be declared a slave for life.

The Virginia court case was significant because it recognized Johnson as a slave owner. The court proved that Johnson was the first person to legally own a slave in the United States. Following the ruling, Johnson continued to own slaves and land until his death in 1670 because slavery was a widespread practice in the American colonies at that time. After Johnson's death, his descendants also owned slaves and became successful landowners in Virginia and Maryland.