Visit The Historic Triangle
African Americans
American freedom and American slavery took root in Virginia. Just a few weeks after the establishment of the General Assembly in 1619 the first Africans (Angolans from the kingdom of Ndongo) arrived in the colony. During much of the 17th century, numbers of enslaved Africans and African Americans remained small. Beginning in the 1670s the enslaved population began to grow rapidly, reaching 200,000 (40 percent of Virginia’s population) by the American Revolution.
Throughout the colonial period, Africans came principally from the West Coast of Africa. In America, enslaved African Americans lived on plantations and worked in the fields tending tobacco, wheat, and other crops. In towns like Williamsburg, they worked as domestics, laborers, and skilled tradesmen. Enslaved African Americans endured and survived the harsh realities of chattel slavery and influenced every aspect of early American culture – against all odds.
In November 1775, Lord Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia, proclaimed freedom for slaves (belonging to American “rebels”) who were willing to fight for the British. Thousands fled their owners and joined forces loyal to the crown. Some gained their freedom after the war. Others, including many who fought with the British at Yorktown, were recaptured by their former owners. Other African Americans fought on the American side at Yorktown and elsewhere.
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Historic Jamestowne
It was here that a woman called “Angelo,” one of the first Africans who arrived in Virginia, lived in the early 1620s. Visit the site in New Towne where she once resided.
Jamestown Settlement
Gallery exhibits explore the cultural origins of the first documented Africans in Virginia, the evolution of the transatlantic slave trade, and the experience of Africans in 1600s Virginia through re-created settings, artifacts, and a theater presentation. The outdoor riverfront discovery area interprets 17th-century travel, commerce, and cultural exchange, reflecting Powhatan Indian, European, and African traditions.
Visit: http://www.historyisfun.org
Colonial Williamsburg
The lives of enslaved and free African Americans are portrayed throughout the Historic Area. At Great Hopes Plantation, interpreters show what life was like on one of the “middling” plantations that surrounded Williamsburg. Revolutionary City features slaves torn by the chance to gain their freedom by joining the British and the hope that patriot liberty might someday extend to them. In another scene, an African American Baptist preacher looks forward to a society where all are equal.
Yorktown Victory Center
Among 10 individuals profiled in The Witnesses to Revolution Gallery are two African American slaves who chose opposite sides during the American Revolution. “The Legacy of Yorktown: Virginia Beckons” examines how people from Powhatan Indian, European, and African cultures contributed to our national identity.
Visit: http://www.historyisfun.org