Free Blacks
Who Owned Slaves

One of the many episodes to come out of the European colonization of Africa, was the slave trade between that continent and north America. In addition to black slaves from Africa, during the early settlement of the north American colonies, many indentured servants from the UK were sent to the Virginia colonies. Indentured servitude being just another form of slavery, given a more palatable name.

There is a growing movement in the USA amongst African-Americans for ‘Slave Reparations’, but this has not been extended to the descendents of the indentured servants mentioned above, presumably colour has a role to play in this?

Another problem arising from such a demand for slave reparations, is knowing whom exactly would be entitled to them. In American Heritage of Feb/Mar 1993, vol 441, under the title, ‘Selling Poor Steven’, beginning on page 90, the official US Census of 1830 is cited, which shows that there were 3,775 free blacks who owned 12,740 black slaves.

The story also outlines the history of slavery in the US, and surprisingly the first slave owner was Mr Anthony Johnson, of Northampton, Virginia, who was a black African. His slave was called John Casor, who was the first slave for life and also a fellow black African.

Additionally outlined is the fact that there were cases of free black women owning their husbands, free black parents selling their children into slavery to white owners, and absentee free black slave owners, who leased their slaves to plantation owners, amongst other things.

Most US libraries carry back issues of American Heritage, so this story should be freely available for reference and research purposes.

There is another very interesting book on the subject of black on black slavery in the US, written by the noted black historian, Carter G. Woodson. The title of the book is, Free Negro Owners of Slaves in the United States in 1830. In this book are listed the names and addresses of free blacks who owned slaves, among them being a certain, George C. Washington of Washington DC.

In any claim for slave reparations, it will of course be necessary to define who was a slave and who was a slave owner, given the facts above, this could prove to be a highly complex, and probably impossible goal to achieve.

It must also be taken into consideration, that most African Americans today, are far better off than their counterparts living in Africa. In addition, for any reparations scheme to be comprehensive and fair, it must include the descendents of white indentured servants, who in the early days formed the bulk of available slave labour