Anthony Johnson: Virginia’s First African American Slave Owner

Anthony Johnson arrived in colonial Virginia from Angola as an indentured servant in 1621. After completing his term, he earned his freedom and received land grants from the colony. He later moved to Maryland and became a successful tobacco farmer. Johnson won a landmark court ruling that recognized his right to own a slave for life, making him the first African American to secure such a verdict. His wealth and landholdings earned him the reputation of the black patriarch among America’s earliest community of Negro property owners.

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