The main problem according to Vaughan as mentioned in the introduction to the Chapter is that Historians are faced with alot of ambiguity in relation to the earliest Africans in the mainland. One of the reasons he mentions is because the information one has to work with is little and " Inconsistent." So historians are faced with questions according to Vaughan that are difficult to answer. In the conclusion he attempts to make a speculation about one of the principal questions that historians face which is the question of " When were the first Africans brought to its shores?" Speaking in reference to the mainland. In the conclusion to the chapter he mentions that in 1628 a ship that was comming from Angola headed by Caption Arthur Guy who took them to Virginia "to barter tobacco." In this same year Vaughan points out that a ship called the " Sracker delivered an unspecified number of Africans to the colony." He asserts that during this time period the population of African Americans must of increased significantly and he points out that probably alot of the passengers where young and use to the diseases . His most compelling argument to his hypothesis is seen in the last paragraph on page 134 he says that it was clear that upon there arrival" blacks were objects of a prejudice that relegated most, perhaps all of them to the lowest rank in colony's society and there are strong hints that bondage for blacks did not carry the same terms as from whites.
Vaughan originally assumed that there is little evidence of the first generation of Africans in Virginia, but he found there was more than he thought. He explains that the evidence was in the census data, as well as court documents.
Evidence was hard to come by. When historians did find evidence it was mainly coming from the whites so the document was biased. There were court documents and cenuses to go on but also planter's diaries or books and phamplets that whites wrote.
Vaughn believes that the evidence about the first generations of Africans in Virginia is inconclusive and not significant but that it shows prejudice against Africans. He mostly looks at evidence from the census and court documents.
Vaughn explains that there is very little evidence that has survived concerning the origins of slavery and racism. What did survive, unfortunately, is ambiguous due to the different meanings of terms used in the 17th century. Historians, therefore, must work with what they have and make a conclusion based on the most persuasive evidence. In this chapter, Vaughn has chosen to re-analyze the evidence and to compare the conclusions of several other historians. As the chapter reveals, there are several compelling theories as to the origins of slavery and racism based on minimal evidence.
As was stated in the introduction to the chapter, the main problem is that there is not alot of information to go on. The information that is available is based off of a census and two letters from John Rolfe until around 1630. While the documents do not show slavery per say, they do show a good amount of prejudice against the Africans that were coming over Virginia. This can be shown with the quote on page 130 that "most purchasers of blacks held them for life or at least longer than white servants." This would suggest that the Africans were somewhat like indentured servants. Vaughan's main argument that he uses to handle this problem is that Africans coming to Virginia by ship were considered to be on the lowest rung of society and different from the white servant.
The evidence that historians have to work with concerning the first Africans that came to the colonies is very little, and very vague. Vaughn like many historians look not only at what little evidence they are presented with but they also look at what is not there, and by reading through the lines can draw conclusions about them. And also taking into account works of other historians.
The problem with evidence that historians face when looking at the first generation of Africans in Virginia is that it is "sparse and inconsistent". According to Vaughan, because the evidence is so vague many historians do not agree on the first generation experience of Africans in Virginia. Vaughan uses his research as well as additional evidence and court cases to attempt to prove his ideas about the first slaves in Virginia, but he also allows the reader to make up their own mind with the evidence presented to us.
Evidence of the first Africans in Virginia is not only hard to come by, existing evidence is either incomplete or inconsistent. Vaughan looks at quotes and observations of Africans made by English settlers. He also relies on the Virginia censuses of 1624 and 1625. Vaughan was able to see how settlers responded to African presence through their words and other details. In the Virginia censuses, Vaughan noted that while most settlers were written about in great detail, 'negro' men, women, and children were referred to as "one negar," "a negors woman," and other similar descriptions. No occupation, age, or any other detail is known. The way and manner that blacks were referred says more than enough to Vaughan and historians.
The problem facing historians when looking for evidence of the first blacks in Virginia is a lack of official documents. The first blacks to arrive were most likely slaves and therefore would not appear in any official documents such as court records or even tax records. Vaughan solves this problem by first looking at those court records that are available, like those for Anthony Johnson and John Phillip. After that he looks at the two earliest censuses available. Here, one gets an idea of the number of blacks and even brief descriptions. Some are detailed enough to know that they had been in the colony for five years and had been Baptized.
In the first sentence to the chapter Vaughn states that the problem with early African American evidence is that is ‘sparse and sometimes inconsistent’. Vaughn handles this problem by examining the evidence that is available such as Virginia census from 1624 and 1625 and from them takes conclusions about Africans in the early colonial period.
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The main problem according to Vaughan as mentioned in the introduction to the Chapter is that Historians are faced with alot of ambiguity in relation to the earliest Africans in the mainland. One of the reasons he mentions is because the information one has to work with is little and " Inconsistent." So historians are faced with questions according to Vaughan that are difficult to answer. In the conclusion he attempts to make a speculation about one of the principal questions that historians face which is the question of " When were the first Africans brought to its shores?" Speaking in reference to the mainland. In the conclusion to the chapter he mentions that in 1628 a ship that was comming from Angola headed by Caption Arthur Guy who took them to Virginia "to barter tobacco." In this same year Vaughan points out that a ship called the " Sracker delivered an unspecified number of Africans to the colony." He asserts that during this time period the population of African Americans must of increased significantly and he points out that probably alot of the passengers where young and use to the diseases . His most compelling argument to his hypothesis is seen in the last paragraph on page 134 he says that it was clear that upon there arrival" blacks were objects of a prejudice that relegated most, perhaps all of them to the lowest rank in colony's society and there are strong hints that bondage for blacks did not carry the same terms as from whites.
Vaughan originally assumed that there is little evidence of the first generation of Africans in Virginia, but he found there was more than he thought. He explains that the evidence was in the census data, as well as court documents.
Evidence was hard to come by. When historians did find evidence it was mainly coming from the whites so the document was biased. There were court documents and cenuses to go on but also planter's diaries or books and phamplets that whites wrote.
Vaughn believes that the evidence about the first generations of Africans in Virginia is inconclusive and not significant but that it shows prejudice against Africans. He mostly looks at evidence from the census and court documents.
Vaughn explains that there is very little evidence that has survived concerning the origins of slavery and racism. What did survive, unfortunately, is ambiguous due to the different meanings of terms used in the 17th century. Historians, therefore, must work with what they have and make a conclusion based on the most persuasive evidence. In this chapter, Vaughn has chosen to re-analyze the evidence and to compare the conclusions of several other historians. As the chapter reveals, there are several compelling theories as to the origins of slavery and racism based on minimal evidence.
As was stated in the introduction to the chapter, the main problem is that there is not alot of information to go on. The information that is available is based off of a census and two letters from John Rolfe until around 1630. While the documents do not show slavery per say, they do show a good amount of prejudice against the Africans that were coming over Virginia. This can be shown with the quote on page 130 that "most purchasers of blacks held them for life or at least longer than white servants." This would suggest that the Africans were somewhat like indentured servants. Vaughan's main argument that he uses to handle this problem is that Africans coming to Virginia by ship were considered to be on the lowest rung of society and different from the white servant.
The evidence that historians have to work with concerning the first Africans that came to the colonies is very little, and very vague. Vaughn like many historians look not only at what little evidence they are presented with but they also look at what is not there, and by reading through the lines can draw conclusions about them. And also taking into account works of other historians.
The problem with evidence that historians face when looking at the first generation of Africans in Virginia is that it is "sparse and inconsistent". According to Vaughan, because the evidence is so vague many historians do not agree on the first generation experience of Africans in Virginia. Vaughan uses his research as well as additional evidence and court cases to attempt to prove his ideas about the first slaves in Virginia, but he also allows the reader to make up their own mind with the evidence presented to us.
Evidence of the first Africans in Virginia is not only hard to come by, existing evidence is either incomplete or inconsistent. Vaughan looks at quotes and observations of Africans made by English settlers. He also relies on the Virginia censuses of 1624 and 1625. Vaughan was able to see how settlers responded to African presence through their words and other details. In the Virginia censuses, Vaughan noted that while most settlers were written about in great detail, 'negro' men, women, and children were referred to as "one negar," "a negors woman," and other similar descriptions. No occupation, age, or any other detail is known. The way and manner that blacks were referred says more than enough to Vaughan and historians.
The problem facing historians when looking for evidence of the first blacks in Virginia is a lack of official documents. The first blacks to arrive were most likely slaves and therefore would not appear in any official documents such as court records or even tax records. Vaughan solves this problem by first looking at those court records that are available, like those for Anthony Johnson and John Phillip. After that he looks at the two earliest censuses available. Here, one gets an idea of the number of blacks and even brief descriptions. Some are detailed enough to know that they had been in the colony for five years and had been Baptized.
In the first sentence to the chapter Vaughn states that the problem with early African American evidence is that is ‘sparse and sometimes inconsistent’. Vaughn handles this problem by examining the evidence that is available such as Virginia census from 1624 and 1625 and from them takes conclusions about Africans in the early colonial period.
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