Myne Owne Ground: Race and Freedom on Virginia's Eastern Shore, 1640-1676

Rating:
Summary: A great look at the social status of 17th Century Virginia
Review: I read this book for my college history class. It was a great look into a society that we know so little about. While reading this book you can see how America begins to slip into slavery with the treatment of Africans on the Eastern Shore. Some pieces of the history of Virginia are missing but Breen and Innes do a great job with what they have to work with.

Rating:
Summary: The Live s of blacks who achieve freedom.
Review: The lives of blacks who achieve freedom.

Rating:
Summary: Blacks who achieved freedom...
Review: This is an excellent introduction to the evolution of black-white relations in mainland North America and to the development of racist attitudes based on cultural diversity.

Africans began arriving early in English-American history. Some of the first of these arrived in Virginia. A number of black Atlantic creoles, notably the Johnsons and Drigguses arrived in Virginia, managed to survive the tidewater massacre and other problems relating to survival and even to gain enough personal wealth to buy their freedom (or were subject to voluntary manumission due to appreciation for their outstanding service to their owners). These black former-slaves (and, possibly, some black indentured servants) set up plantations on Virginia's east shore (where the coast doubles backs around Chesapeake Bay) and established plantations. They owned slaves and purchased white indentured servants. In addition, because the racist aspects of slavery were still largely limited by the cosmopolitanism of the Atlantic creoles, several of the families intermarried with whites.

Slowly, over a period of time, an increasing number of non-creole blacks arrived as slaves and the distinct markings, customs and languages of the numerous new arrivals resulted in hardening racial sentiments. Some blacks, such as Anthony Johnson's grandson (also Anthony Johnson) began to consider Africa in a positive light as opposed to European racism and restrictions on the rights of free blacks - eventually leaving for less restrictive colonies, such as Maryland. Some were re-enslaved (not having been able to produce clear evidence that they were free and not having any living whites who could attest that their ancestors had been freed). As Ira Berlin (MANY THOUSANDS GONE) points out, some remained as relatively wealthy planters, such as Ezicarum Driggus even after such racist sentiment crystallized.

This should be read with Tommy L. Bogger: FREE BLACKS IN NORFOLK VIRGINIA 1790-1860:The Darker Side of Freedom and Earvin Jordan's BLACK CONFEDERATES AND AFRO-YANKEES IN CIVIL WAR VIRGINIA.