The experimental film 'Jamestown 1619' features music found on my first compact disc - 'The Instrument.'

It is late summer. Out of the violent storm appears a Dutch ship. The ship's cargo hold is empty except for twenty or so Africans whom the captain and his crew have recently robbed from a Spanish ship. The captain exchanges the Africans for food, then sets sail.

It's not clear if the Africans are considered slaves or indentured servants. Records of 1623 and 1624 list them as servants, and indeed later records show increrasing numbers of free blacks, some of whom were assigned land. On the other hand, records from gatherings do not indicate the marital status of the Africans (Mr., Miss, etc.) and, unlike white servants, no year is associated with the names--information vital in determining the end of a servant's term of bondage. Most likely some Africans were slaves and some were servants. At any rate, the status of people in bondage was very confusing, even to those who were living at the time. Whatever the status of these first Africans to arrive at Jamestown, it is clear that by 1640, at least one African had been declared a slave. This African was ordered by the court "to serve his said master or his assigns for the time of his natural life here or elsewhere." The terrible transformation of racial slavery was underway.

2009

Running Time: 9 min 18 sec