Most Americans, including Virginians, are taught and erroneously believe that slavery in the U. S. began in Virginia. But the fact is the first colony to pass a law legalizing lifetime slavery was Massachusetts in 1641. Lifetime slavery did not become legal in Virginia until twelve years later.

It is true that the first Africans arrived at Jamestown in 1619. However they were sold as indentured servants. After working their term of indenture they were set free.

One of these freed Africans, Anthony Johnson, became a successful farmer on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. He purchased several African indentured servants for his own use. One of his servants, John Castor, was freed after completing his indentureship. But when Castor left to serve another man, a Mr. Parker, Johnson filed suit against Parker. (Johnson vs. Parker, Northampton County, Virginia) This suit resulted in Castor being returned to Parker as his servant for life. From this landmark decision in 1653, slavery in the South sprang. Thus the father of lifetime slavery in the South was an African-American, Anthony Johnson.