Inquiry Questions
What were the different responses, what were the consequences to these responses, what would lead to the responses, how would the slaves respond to the consequences, how will other people respond to this enslavement, how old were the slaves and who were the first people to have a record on being a slave.
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Responses to Enslavement
Important People
John Punch is one of the first servants on record to be sentenced to slavery on the grounds of race. However, he was neither the first nor the last black man to flee from oppressive bondage.
Mum Bett (who was later called Elizabeth Freeman), inspired by the Declaration of Independence, also took her pursuit of freedom before the authorities, suing her owner in a Massachusetts court.
Racism
Though fleeing similar circumstances, the fates of the runaways differed under the court's aegis. A judge sentenced all three to whippings. He then added four years to the indenture terms of James and Victor, both white Europeans. John, a black man, alone he condemned to lifelong servitude.
Statistics
Of the 424 runaway advertisements in selected New Orleans newspapers in 1850, 136 were females.
John Punch is one of the first servants on record to be sentenced to slavery on the grounds of race.
However, he was neither the first nor the last black man to flee from oppressive bondage.
Only 15.4 percent of 1,250 runaways announced were females and only 2 percent were children.
Most of runaway slaves were single young men who fled alone.
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Acts and Laws
The 1642 Virginia act against runaways and the 1680 act against insurrection reflect the harsh punishments that awaited not only slaves who rebelled, but also slaves perceived as potential intransigents.
Fun Facts
Notes from a slaves court case: Singweh, a colored man, deposeth and saith, that he was born at Mani, a town in Jopoa in the Mendi country in Africa, and that his king Mahe Katumbo resided at Kwommendi, capital of Jopoa in said Mendi country; that he was sold by Birmaja son of Shaka, king of Gendumah in the Fai country to a Spaniard about 6 moons ago, that he was brought from Lomboka in a vessel with two masts, that he was landed at a village one day from Havanna, where he was kept 5 days, then taken to another village nearer to Havanna where he was kept 5 days more, that he was taken there by night on foot through Havanna to the vessel which brought him from Havanna, that he was driven by force and put on board said vessel; that they sailed the next morning, that by night his hands were confined by irons, that a board said vessel he had not half enough to eat or drink only two potatoes and one plantain twice a day and half a teacup of water morning and evening, that he was beaten on the head by the cook in presence of Pipi, who claims to be his owner, and Montez and that he was told one morning after breakfast that the white man would eat them when they landed.
All major slave rebellions in American history were thwarted, their leaders and participants murdered.
Slave Responses
In 1773, four men lobbied the colonial authorities of Massachusetts for their freedom. They were denied.
