The First Enslaved People Arrive from Africa

    Cards (6)

    • When did the first enslaved Africans arrive in Jamestown, Virginia?
      1619
    • How were the first Africans in Jamestown initially treated?

      As indentured servants, required to work off a debt to gain freedom.
    • What significant change occurred over time regarding the status of Africans in Jamestown?

      Africans were eventually deemed enslaved for life.
    • Who was John Punch?

      A Black servant who ran away with two white European servants in 1640.
    • What happened to John Punch after he was caught in 1640?

      He was sentenced to lifelong servitude, marking the first documented case of permanent slavery.
    • What is the historical significance of John Punch’s case?

      It marks the first documented case of a sentence to lifelong slavery in the American colonies