Angela (enslaved woman)

Enslaved woman in the Colony of Virginia

"Angelo" historical marker near Jamestown Settlement

Angela (fl. 1619–1625), also Angelo, was one of the first enslaved Africans to be officially recorded in the Colony of Virginia in 1619.

## Early life and enslavement

[edit]

Angela's early life is little known, and her date of birth is unknown. Still, she was likely born in present-day Angola, in what was then the Kimbundu-speaking area of the Kingdom of Ndongo. She likely had a rural upbringing. In 1619, she was part of a group of 350 enslaved Africans who were sold to Manuel Mendes da Cunha, captain of the São João Bautista. This ship was destined for Vera Cruz, and the people who were its "cargo" were to be sold to plantations in the Caribbean and beyond.[1]

During its journey across the Atlantic, the São João Bautista was attacked by the Treasurer and White Lion. Those ships carried a letter of marque, which permitted them to attack Portuguese vessels. These ships stole many enslaved Angolans, perhaps 45–50, and changed course to Virginia. The ships landed at Point Comfort in late August 1619. The first to arrive was the White Lion, with twenty enslaved people sold there in exchange for food. Three or four days later, the Treasurer arrived with a second group of enslaved people; some were put ashore before the ship fled, fearing arrest. Of those put ashore, one of them was likely Angela. A Captain William Peirce [sic] purchased her.[1] These two groups of enslaved people have become known in historical and commemorative discourse as the 'First Africans'.[2]

## Life in Virginia

[edit]

Muster of William Peirce, with "Angelo" highlighted

After William Peirce [sic] purchased her, Angela worked for his household. In 1622, local indigenous people attacked the colony and killed 347 of the inhabitants; Angela survived.[3][4] The attack was followed by a period of famine, which Angela also survived.[4] In 1625, she was listed in the Virginia Colony muster as one of four servants enslaved by the Peirces and the only Black person.[3] After 1625, Angela no longer appears in the historical record.[3] Her date of death is unknown.[1]

## Archaeological investigation

[edit]

The first archaeological investigation into parts of what has become known in the twenty-first century as 'The Angela Site' was undertaken by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, many of whom were African American laborers.[2] Between 2017 and 2019 archaeologists at Historic Jamestown investigated the site where Peirce's property lay, to reveal more about the kind of life that Angela and other early inhabitants may have lived.[5] Four cowrie shells were excavated as part of the site assemblage and have been cautiously interpreted as connected to Angela.[3]

## Legacy

[edit]

On 18 August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Angela and other enslaved people to America was commemorated in Jamestown.[2][6][7] Attendees included over two hundred people, including local and national members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, as well as people from the Ghanaian community.[2] To some members of the African American community, Angela, as a part of the group of 'First Africans', is an important aspect of their historical identity.[2] At Historic Jamestown, a costumed interpreter performs Angela's story for visitors.[3] A new play was commissioned by the Jamestown Settlement, which also tells Angela's story.[3] One of the cowrie shells excavated in 2019 is on display in the Archaearium at Historic Jamestowne.[8] A memorial to Angela was unveiled at Fort Monroe.[6]

## References

[edit]

* Virginia portal

1. ^ a b c "Angela (fl. 1619–1625)". Encyclopaedia Virginia. Archived from the original on 2021-03-02. Retrieved 2020-03-18.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
2. ^ a b c d e Reid, L. Chardé (2021-02-23). ""It's Not About Us": Exploring White-Public Heritage Space, Community, and Commemoration on Jamestown Island, Virginia". International Journal of Historical Archaeology. 26: 22–52\. doi:10.1007/s10761-021-00593-9. ISSN 1092-7697. S2CID 233964297.
3. ^ a b c d e f "She was captured, enslaved and she survived. Meet Angela, the first named African woman in Jamestown". www.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
4. ^ a b "When did slavery begin in America? Jamestown's history. - The Washington Post". The Washington Post. 2021-05-28. Archived from the original on 2021-05-28. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
5. ^ "The Angela Site | Historic Jamestowne". 2021-05-26. Archived from the original on 2021-05-26. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
6. ^ a b "Les États-Unis commémorent l'arrivée d'Angela, première esclave africaine". RFI (in French). 2019-08-24. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
7. ^ "Excavation sheds light on one of first enslaved Africans in America". NBC News. Retrieved 2021-05-28.
8. ^ "April 2019 | Historic Jamestowne". 2021-05-28. Archived from the original on 2021-05-28. Retrieved 2021-05-28.

* v
* t
* e

History of slavery in Virginia

* Slavery in the colonial history of the United States
* History of Virginia

Enslaved people|

* Angela (fl. 1619–1625)
* Henry Box Brown (c. 1815–1897)
* Anthony Burns (1834–1862)
* John Casor (living 1655)
* Emanuel Driggus (c. 1620s-d. 1673)
* Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745–1797)
* Isabella Gibbons (c. 1836–1890)
* William D. Gibbons (1825–1886)
* John Graweere (living 1641)
* Elizabeth Key Grinstead (Greenstead) (1630–1665)
* Left, husband of Jane Webb (fl. 1704–1727)
* Mary and Anthony Johnson (1600–1670)
* Philip Lee (c. 1785–?)
* Dangerfield Newby (c. 1820–1859)
* John Punch (fl. 1630s, living 1640)
* Gabriel Prosser (1776–1800)
* William Tucker (born 1624)
* Nat Turner (1800–1831)
* Booker T. Washington (1856–1915)

Slave owners|

* Presidents of the United States
* Washington
* Jefferson
* Madison
* Monroe
* Tyler
* John Armfield (1797–1871)
* Carter Braxton (1736–1797)
* Landon Carter (1710–1778)
* Robert "King" Carter (1663–1732)
* Robert Carter III (1728–1804)
* Thomas Roderick Dew (1802–1846)
* Andrew Hunter (1804–1888)
* Robert M. T. Hunter (1809–1887)
* Eppa Hunton (1822–1908)
* Richard Bland Lee (1761–1827)
* William Mahone (1826–1895)
* George Mason (1725–1792)
* James M. Mason (1798–1871)
* John Page (1628–1692)
* Thomas Prosser (died 1798)
* Randolph family of Virginia
* William Barton Rogers (1804–1882)
* George Henry Thomas (1816–1870)
* William Tucker (died 1642)
* John Wayles (1715–1773)
* Henry A. Wise (1806–1876)
* Seth Woodroof (1805–1875)

Plantations|

* Beall-Air
* Berry Hill
* Brookfield
* Kenmore
* Monticello
* Montpelier
* Mount Airy
* Mount Vernon (enslaved people)
* Oatlands
* Poplar Forest
* Shirley
* Stratford Hall
* Tuckahoe
* Westover
* Woodlawn
* List of plantations in Virginia

Slave pens|

* Bruin's Slave Jail
* The Cage
* Franklin and Armfield Office
* Lumpkin's Jail

Other sites|

* African American Burial Ground
* Bremo Slave Chapel
* Memorial to Enslaved Laborers
* White House of the Confederacy

Legal history|

* Virginia Slave Codes of 1705
* Virginia v. John Brown

Revolts|

* Gabriel's Rebellion
* Nat Turner's Rebellion
* John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry

Related articles|

* The 1619 Project
* Atlantic Creole
* Burning of Winchester Medical College
* Coastwise slave trade
* First Africans in Virginia
* Indentured servitude in Virginia
* District of Columbia retrocession
* Great Dismal Swamp maroons
* Human trafficking in Virginia
* Liberation and Freedom Day
* Richmond slave market
* Virginia in the American Civil War

* v
* t
* e

Jamestown, Virginia Colony (1607–1624)

Timeline of Jamestown, Virginia • History (1607–1699)

Events|

* Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604)
* First Virginia Charter
* Second Virginia Charter
* Virginia Company/London Company
* Jamestown supply missions
* Starving Time
* Anglo-Powhatan Wars
* 1619 Jamestown craftsmen strike
* Indian massacre of 1622

Geography|

* Belle Isle
* Cape Charles
* College Creek
* Dumpling Island
* Glass House Point
* Hog Island
* James River
* Jamestown Island
* Mulberry Island
* Stingray Point
* Tsenacommacah
* Werowocomoco
* Orapax
* Powhatan's Chimney

Associated places
(list)|

* Blunt Poynt
* Kecoughtan
* Cape Henry
* First Landing State Park
* St. John's Episcopal Church
* Farrar's Island
* Henricus
* Beggars Bush (Jordan Point)
* Moysonec
* Old Point Comfort
* Fort Algernon
* Pagan River
* Passapatanzy
* Wolstenholme Towne

| 1619 incorporations|

* James City
* Charles City
* Elizabeth City
* City of Henrico

|

Colonists
(list)|

| Original Virginia Governor's Council members|

* Edward Maria Wingfield (president)
* Bartholomew Gosnold
* Christopher Newport
* John Martin
* John Ratcliffe
* George Kendall
* John Smith

|

Other notable original colonists|

* Gabriel Archer
* Robert Beheathland
* Samuel Collier
* Robert Hunt
* George Percy
* Nathaniel Powell
* Thomas Wotton

|

Notable colonists from
supply missions|

* First Supply
* Jonas Profit
* Thomas Savage
* Matthew Scrivener
* Michael Sicklemore
* William Spence
* Second Supply
* Anne Burras
* Raleigh Croshaw
* Thomas Dowse
* Mistress Forrest
* Thomas Forrest
* Thomas Graves
* Hugh Gwyn
* Ralph Hamor
* Daniel Tucker
* Francis West
* Jamestown Polish craftsmen
* Third Supply
* Richard Buck
* William Capps
* James Davis
* Temperance Flowerdew
* Thomas Gates
* Stephen Hopkins
* Samuel Jordan
* Silvester Jourdain
* William Peirce
* William Powell
* Robert Rich
* John Rolfe
* Samuel Sharpe
* William Sharpe
* George Somers
* Henry Spelman
* William Strachey
* Edward Waters
* George Yeardley
* Fourth Supply
* Samuel Argall
* Lawrence Bohun
* Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr
* Fifth Supply
* Thomas Dale
* Cecily Jordan Farrar
* William Spencer
* Joan Wright

|

Notable colonists
1611–1624|

* "Angela"
* Edward Bennett
* William Berkeley
* William Claiborne
* William Farrar
* Henry Fleete
* Anthony Johnson
* Christopher Lawne
* Samuel Matthews
* Richard Pace
* John Pollington
* John Pott
* Edmund Rossingham
* George Sandys
* Walter Shelley
* Richard Stephens
* George Thorpe
* William Tucker
* John West
* Alexander Whitaker
* Francis Wyatt

Natives and
native groups|

* Accomac people
* Appomattoc
* Opossunoquonuske
* "Chanco"
* Chickahominy people
* Pamunkey (tribe)
* Opechancanough
* Patawomeck
* Powhatan (people)
* Powhatan (leader)
* Pocahontas
* Tackonekintaco
* Tomocomo
* Nemattanew
* Rappahannock people

Other notables|

* Ancient planter
* Women of Colonial Virginia
* Tobacco brides
* John Ferrar
* Nicholas Ferrar
* Virginia Laydon
* John Pory
* Nathaniel Rich
* Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick
* Edwin Sandys
* Thomas Smythe
* Robert Tyndall
* Pedro de Zúñiga y de la Cueva

Written accounts|

* "Dale's Code" (1612)
* A Description of New England (1616)
* The Historie of Travaile Into Virginia Britannia (1619)
* The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles (1619)
* True Reportory (1625)
* Pamiętnik handlowca (1625)

Cultural depictions|

* Po-ca-hon-tas, or The Gentle Savage (1855)
* Pocahontas (1910 film)
* The Wives of Jamestown (1913)
* Johnny Smith and Poker-Huntas (1938)
* Captain John Smith and Pocahontas (1953)
* Argall: The True Story of Pocahontas and Captain John Smith (2001)
* The New World (2005 film)
* Jamestown: Legend of the Lost Colony (2011)
* Jamestown (2017)

Associated ships|

* Susan Constant
* Godspeed
* Discovery
* Mary and John
* Sea Venture
* Virginia
* Treasurer
* White Lion

Related|

* Jamestown Rediscovery
* General Court of Virginia (colonial)
* House of Burgesses
* Virginia General Assembly
* Virginia Governor's Council
* "He who does not work, neither shall he eat"
* List of James River plantations
* Preservation Virginia
* Roanoke Colony

Park: Historic Jamestowne • Museum: Jamestown Settlement (Jamestown Glasshouse) • Trail: Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail
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