The Birth of Black America: The First African Americans and the Pursuit of Freedom at Jamestown

by Tim Hashaw

The voyage that shaped early America was neither that of the Susan Constant in 1607 nor the Mayflower in 1620. Absolutely vital to the formation of English-speaking America was the voyage made by some sixty Africans stolen from a Spanish slave ship and brought to the young struggling colony of Jamestown in 1619. It was an act of colonial piracy that angered King James I of England, causing him to carve up the Virginia Company's monopoly for virtually all of North America. It was an infusion of brave and competent souls who were essential to Jamestown's survival and success. And it was the arrival of pioneers who would fire the first salvos in the centuries-long African-American battle for liberation. Until now, it has been buried by historians. Four hundred years after the birth of English-speaking America, as a nation turns its attention to its ancestry, The Birth of Black America reconstructs the true origins of the United States and of the African-American experience.

Genres: American History, History, Nonfiction, Historical, American

336 pages, Hardcover

First published December 29, 2006

Reviews

[Kevin]

I pulled this book off the library shelves because I know very little about African-American history during the Colonial period and next to nothing about the beginnings of American slavery. But in spite of the title, the author doesn't begin the book in Virginia. He starts (unnecessarily, in my view) with the story of James Stuart's ascension to the throne of England, his fights with Parliament and his foreign policy regarding Spain. There's also a lot about contemporary African nations, the first modern European incursion into sub-Saharan Africa and the Portuguese efforts to break the Venetian/Muslim monopoly on the Asian spice trade. To be fair, all of this is background to how the first Africans arrived in America: the Africans were kidnapped by Portuguese slavers in a Spanish-controlled part of Africa, then the Portuguese slave ship was attacked by an English privateer (in other words a pirate ship with official but deniable English government sanction to attack Spanish and Portuguese ships) which then took them to Virginia. It sparked what we would now call an international incident. But to learn about all this isn't why I checked out this book. Furthermore, I do know something about English history of the time period and the author just gets a lot of details wrong. If I can't trust him in regard to how this book begins, where I'm familiar with the subject matter, how can I trust him to tell me the story of a historical episode that is the actual reason I picked up this book, and of which I'm more or less ignorant?

[Kelly Buchanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was chock full of information I didn't know. The extraordinary stories of some of America's first black families make for a truly fascinating read. If the book's organizational system was a bit dizzying at times, I can certainly forgive this, especially given the nature of the historical record for this time. Particularly illuminating are Hashaw's discussions of the great African empires involved in the early days of the slave trade and their struggles with European colonizing forces. The chronicling of Jamestown's early days when it was possible for some free black men to own property, marry white women, and build their futures while simultaneously other black people were considered property was eye-opening to say the least. The swift tide of unbridled hatred that closed off these options in the developing American slave economy is enumerated here, along with the political shiftings of an American colony undergoing rapid change, including its time during the English Civil Wars and Oliver Cromwell's dominance. These are all subjects not usually explored in American history, and it made me feel like we have all missed out on a lot in our studies.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far, so good. Interesting African history in here that I was totally unfamiliar with, and this is territory in American history that few people cover.

[Elizabeth Danielle Oswald-Sease · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have liked to have seen a greater emphasis placed on the individual histories of the first Africans in Jamestown, but a solid work.

[Cam Larsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, only about 245 pages. I picked this up from the library while waiting on a book I’d ordered online to arrive. This reminded me a lot of The Company by Stephen Brown (about Hudson’s Bay) in the sense that it starts out as a chronological nightmare with no rhyme or reason as to why the initial timeline is written this way. At least 100 pages in there’s hardly any mention of the actual subject matter and there’s somehow still passages about the Elizabeth I reign that ended in 1603. For a book of 500 pages this wouldn’t be a big deal, however it’s 245 pages. Over half the narrative is about white English players still living in the United Kingdom. The book is also really repetitive at times, which isn’t uncommon for a historical nonfiction book however again being only 245 pages or so there’s not a lot of room for repetitiveness. I found myself checking the cover of the book several times to ensure I hadn’t mistakenly picked up a Robert Rich biography instead.

I gave it 4 stars because of the 120 pages or so actually about “The First African Americans” at Jamestown it’s quite good and redeemable of the fore-mentioned faults. I was prepped to hand this 3/5 for the first 100 pages but it saves itself.

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

With intricate detail, Hashaw seemingly sets the record straight as to the people and forces that introduce enslaved Africans into Jamestown in 1619, and the beginning of those same persons using slavery and force to build their wealth and political power.
In 2018, a worker/actor at Colonial Williamsburg was still telling the previously conventional story that 'we don't know' that the "20 and odd' Africans brought to Jamestown were enslaved, and that it was a Dutch, rather than English, ship that delivered them.

There were some aspects of his interpretations, including moral generosity toward Lord Rich, that left me puzzled, and would require deeper research than I can muster to explore.

[Glenda Nelms · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history on the founders of African America. The attack on the San Juan Bautista by the Treasurer and the White Lion. The increasingly restrictive laws preventing Africans from becoming free. Hashaw presents the true origins of the united states and the African American experience. It's important that we learn more about our history as a society and a nation. People fought and die for freedom.

[Josh Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, good and informative. I enjoyed learning. A bit difficult to comprehend and keep up with all of the details (as I suppose reading any history goes), but made more difficult by going back and forth through history

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ordered from the library; (June 30th, 2020) Refer pages 170-174; referenced from Loving.

[Paul Quick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought my knowledge of Jamestown beginnings was solid but the Author with his excellent research and expository skills filled in unseen gaps. Real tour-de-force.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of history I was unfamiliar with, even after reading some other books about Jamestown... Hashaw sometimes gets sucked into the story of English lords and gentlemen conniving to steal slaves from Spanish ships & cover their tracks, but eventually he turns to stories of individual Africans and their families.

Hashaw also uses English titles differently than I am accustomed to seeing, i.e. Sir Walter Raleigh is consistently referred to as Sir Raleigh rather than "Raleigh" or "Sir Walter." I found that disrupted my concentration.

[Allison Thurman]

Library

[Thom DeLair]

This was one of those books I couldn't put down. I was familiar with a lot of the colonial American events already, the writing is smooth and the author does a nice jobs reminding the reader of past parts of the book to make sure they are following the web of contingent sources tell the tale.

Hashaw's generous appropriations of the first Africans to live in the Jamestown colony was certainly worth the read. Although, it is very different than a lot of other accounts I've read, this book is much more glass half full in disposition. Where other accounts tend to focus on the level of prejudice and brutality, here, some successful Angolans are highlighted to show their ability to obtain property and wealth and successful Bantu customs, like cattle husbandry that were highly useful in early Virginia.

Whether or not some of the narrative hinges on stone-cold-facts or not, Hashaw does clearly provide evidence for his construction of the narrative. To me, it felt like an adventure story, though very sad as it's part of the greater transatlantic slave trade, the African characters are provided with more insights and personality than other cautious books covering black history in colonial Virginia.