Myne Owne Ground Essay

Slavery is an American embarrass manpowert in present day, African Americans and woman ease up gained the canonical rights given to every American. (3) Slavery existed in every colony in the New World from Canada to the Rio de la Plata. (3) It emerged as a way of debauch and administering humans to produce labor call for on the Plantations in the early s even soteenth century. However, prior to the full system of hard workerry, b omits were relatively twin to whites.They were fit to experience land, make their own m wholenessy, and live with the same rights as whites. Anthony bumson is one slave from his era to live a successful life. He jump outed as a slave in Virginia, that later fought to fulfil the American Dream. (4) Bought into slavery Anthony seemed to have no control everyplace his future. He was referred to as Antonio a Negro and was purchased to work on the Bennett plantation in the tobacco fields.(8) As every American slave, Anthony had to fight day by d ay to survive. The poor sustenance conditions with no food or water took a toll on his new life in the Americas. vivification severally day he was exposed to death, cruelty, and starvation. He seemingly had no opportunity of starting a family because of scarcity of woman which gave him no choice other than slavery (9).On March 22, 1622, the Indians of Tidewater Virginia attacked Edward Bennetts tobacco plantation in Virginia (9). The attack on the plantations killed over three hundred and cardinal colonists fifty- 2 were killed at the plantation (9). Anthony Johnson was one of the twelve lucky survivors. He was fortunate enough to gain his freedom after the attack whole of the people fled their own way. He was able to start his quest to supporting the American dream, and later gained the name Anthony Johnson.Anthony Johnson got a fresh start in the new world. He was finally able to start a family, he married a woman named Mary. She was the only female to be living at the Ben netts farm in Warresquioake. They would live together for over forty years and have four children. Bennett later became governor of Northampton. When the Johnsons locomote there, Bennett looked after their legal and economic interests. (11)In 1640, Johnson and his family gained an estate (11). Their main root system of income came from raising cattle and hogs, which military serviceed with the local economy. Anthony later was able to obtain cardinal hundred and fifty ground of land for his estates he purchased five headright certificates to help with the land. (11) The land was located on Pungoteague Creek and later had a annihilative fire. The fire burned the plantation to the ground and Anthony suffered hard times with the lack of money and resources to start the farm again. He petitioned and gained legal excuse from paying(a) taxes for his wife and two daughters.The reduction of taxes helped Johnson rebuild his plantation. The legal aspects showed that Mary and her two daug hters were tinge of white women in Northampton County because of the tax system. All black women and men had to pay taxes, whereas only white men who made an income paid. White women were apologize (12).Johnsons life was wish well that of the white men during this time. He was able to trade with his white neighbors and buy his own slaves to work for him. Casor, a slave under Johnson, pleaded to Robert Parker, a white man, that Johnson was holding him illegally. He took Casor to his tobacco plantation because he was supposedly a freeman. Johnson was enraged because Casor did not have the indenture he claimed to have. He and his family had a meeting and decided to set John Casor free from his plantation (14). On March 8, 1655, Johnson regained the right of slave Casor by suing Robert Parker. He not only took a white man to court, only if he also defeated him, declaring Casor Johnsons slave for life (15). Anthony was hard-boiled with respect he had the legal documents and his act ions were not questioned.Later Johnson would proceed to sell most of his farm and give the rest to his youngest son to help him start a life of his own. Anthony and his wife moved to Maryland as headrights, but they remained free for the rest of their lives. He leased three hundred acres of plantation he later named the land Tonies Vineyard. (16) After Anthonys death, Mary renegotiated the lease. She was successful and paid the colony taxes and the annual rent each time. The Johnson family was able to live the remainder of their lives as free equals to the white society.In seventeenth century Northampton, a mans place in the chain was dependent partly on wealth and race (45). Because of this system, whatever blacks were able to gain freedom and prosper (68). Many Northampton documents feature label of black men and women who own their own land. They were able to have families and go out for the welfare (68). Nineteen percent of black men even owned a home. Free blacks on the East ern Shore significantly had some(prenominal) family and given names (69). These names allowed the family connections to be made. In New Netherland, some black men were free and faced very little discrimination. They were even able to indenture a white female servant for one year (71).The authors are very convincing I do see that it was possible for blacks and whites to live together in capital of New Hampshire. In the school go for it shows how blacks and whites shared out legal rights in the seventeenth century, this helped African Americans gained rights in the mid 1900s. It caused blacks to fight why they couldnt have freedom when there is evidence of introductory peaceful equality (20).Another reason that I believe harmony was possible between blacks and whites are that they could live together as neighbors. In the seventieth century blacks could own land and had the ability to free market. They could buy and sell goods for profit they could even trade with the white Ame ricans for certain resources needed to be successful. African Americans had the ability to own their own slaves just like white men. Land owning African Americans had to pay taxes just like everyone else owning land.The text shows how African Americans in the seventeenth century had the rights to living free among whites where requisition was not a factor in everyday life. The title of the book Myne Owne Ground means that if you are not allowed to go after indecency and freedom or own land, then freedom isnt in truth free. It means in order to be truly equal, you must own your own land. Giving African Americans the freedom to be successful compete a huge role in freedoms given today. Without the study of the equal rights given to blacks in the seventieth century, todays freedoms given to all would not have been as accepting in modern day culture.