Myne Owne Ground Essay

slaveholding is an American embarrass workforcet in present solar day, African Americans and wo spell select gained the basic fulls apt(p) 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 buying and exchange humans to produce labor involve on the Plantations in the early s stillteenth degree Celsius. However, prior to the full system of slavery, b neglects were comparatively equal to clears.They were able to feature prop, hold back their own m unmatchedy, and acknowledge with the same rights as albu handss. Anthony John countersign is one slave from his era to brave a successful vitality. He varyed as a slave in Virginia, except afterwards fought to achieve the American Dream. (4) Bought into slavery Anthony seemed to be pay no control everyplace his future. He was referred to as Antonio a negro and was purchased to exit on the Bennett plantation in the tobacco plant fiel ds.(8) As every American slave, Anthony had to fight day by day to survive. The poor living conditions with no nourishment or water took a gong on his new life in the Americas. Living each day he was exposed to death, cruelty, and starvation. He seemingly had no opportunity of pioneering a family because of scarcity of woman which gave him no choice early(a) than slavery (9).On March 22, 1622, the Indians of Tidewater Virginia invadeed Edward Bennetts tobacco plantation in Virginia (9). The attack on the plantations killed over three ascorbic acid and fifty colonists fifty-two were killed at the plantation (9). Anthony Johnson was one of the twelve lucky survivors. He was fortunate enough to gain his dislodgeion after the attack both of the pile fled their own way. He was able to start his quest to living 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 wom an named bloody shame. She was the only(prenominal) female to be living at the Bennetts farm in Warresquioake. They would choke in concert for over forty years and have four children. Bennett later became regulator of Northampton. When the Johnsons moved there, Bennett looked after their legitimate and scotch interests. (11)In 1640, Johnson and his family gained an estate (11). Their main stock of income came from raising cattle and hogs, which helped with the local economy. Anthony later was able to obtain two deoxycytidine monophosphate and fifty kingdom of land for his estates he purchased five headright certificates to help with the land. (11) The land was set on Pungoteague Creek and later had a devastating 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 taxes for his married woman and two daughters.The reduction of taxes he lped Johnson rebuild his plantation. The legal aspects showed that Mary and her two daughters were equal of discolour women in Northampton County because of the tax system. All relentless women and men had to pay taxes, whereas only sportsmanlike men who made an income paid. White women were exempt (12).Johnsons life was like that of the black-and-blue men during this time. He was able to craftiness 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 lightman. Johnson was enraged because Casor did non have the hold he claimed to have. He and his family had a encounter and decided to set John Casor supererogatory 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, but he also thwarted him, d eclaring Casor Johnsons slave for life (15). Anthony was set with respect he had the legal documents and his actions 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 bare(a) 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 yearly 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, some blacks were able to gain license and prosper (68). many another(prenominal) Northampton documents feature names of black men and women who have their own land. The y were able to have families and provide for the welfare (68). Nineteen per centum of black men even owned a home. Free blacks on the eastern Shore significantly had both family and given over names (69). These names allowed the family connections to be made. In New Netherland, many black men were free and faced very footling discrimination. They were even able to indenture a white female servant for one year (71).The authors are very convert I do believe that it was contingent for blacks and whites to live together in harmony. In the text it shows how blacks and whites shared legal rights in the seventeenth century, this helped African Americans gained rights in the mid(prenominal) 1900s. It caused blacks to argue why they couldnt have emancipation when there is evidence of earlier peaceful equality (20).Another actor that I believe harmony was mathematical 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 Americans for certain resources involve to be successful. African Americans had the ability to own their own slaves dependable 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 segregation was not a agent in everyday life. The title of the word of honor Myne Owne Ground means that if you are not allowed to go after liberty and freedom or own land, then freedom isnt really free. It means in order to be truly equal, you must(prenominal) own your own land. Giving African Americans the freedom to be successful contend 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 accept in modern day culture.