The Colonial Period

As you remember, my theme is immigration. I have to relate it to the material we learned in the colonies unit. There were many different kinds of migrants, voluntary and involuntary. I have chosen to focus on slaves. I examined this link at the official Jamestown site. It starts out talking about the first slaves brought to Virginia, in 1619, but focuses on the Royal African Company. This was a corporation with a monopoly on the slave trade. Founded in 1672, it had declined by the end of the century. But it was during this time that slavery took off in Virginia. This reading definitely changed my impression of immigration, to see that it wasn't always the inspiring experience we associate with later periods.