4.2 Black History Play: How Slavery Began

(Based on a play found in Scholastic's Educational Skits)

1. Teacher: Good Morning, Class. Does anyone have any questions about yesterday’s lesson on Slavery in the South?

2. Student: OOhhh, me, me! When did slavery start in America, anyway?

3. Teacher: Good question! Rather than tell you the answer, let me SHOW you!

(Few students wave hands and walk across as if to fade back in time)

4. Narrator 1: It is the summer of 1619. Three ships meet in the Caribbean Sea. The Portuguese Bautista tries to out run the other two, but it is too heavy because their hold is filled with African slaves heading for North America’s New Spain colony (modern day Mexico.)

5. Narrator 2: Two ships, the White Lion and the Treasurer, moved alongside the Bautista and men speaking English jumped aboard.

(Pirates jump up on deck)

6. Captain of the White Lion: We will take over your ship unless you give us all of your gold and silver!

7. Captain of the Bautista: We do not have any gold or silver. We are a slave ship. We are taking these Africans to New Spain to sell to the settlers there.

8. Captain of the Treasurer: Well then, give us your cargo of slaves and we’ll let you go!

9. Narrator 3: (As three chained slaves walk from the Bautista to the White Lion): So the Africans boarded the White Lion and the Treasurer and were taken to the new colony of Jamestown, Virginia. The White Lion arrives in August 1619. The Treasurer was lost in a storm.

10. Captain Tucker: Welcome to Virginia! We have lots of different foods for you. What have you brought to trade with us?

11. Narrator 4: At that moment and English sailor brings 3 enslaved Africans to the deck of the ship.

(Everyone GASPS)

12. John Rolfe: Captain, we have no laws concerning slavery in the Virginia colony. There are NO slaves in Jamestown. What should we do?

13. Governor Yeardley: Perhaps we can find some useful work for them to do. We are in desperate need for labor. They will become “indentured servants”. After a number of years of service to pay for the food we traded for them, they will be allowed their freedom.

14. Lt. Pierce: I can use a housemaid. May I purchase her?

15. Narrator 5: Lt. Pierce takes hold of one slaves chains and leads her away. She looks back at her friends and cries.

16. Captain Jones: I can use more labor on my farm. I will buy these two.

17. Narrator 6: Captain Jones takes hold of their chains and leads the sad looking pair away.

18. Narrator 7: And so it all began. Over the next few years a more African Indentured Servants would arrive. However, over time the idea of “indentured servitude” changed to lifelong servitude.

19. Narrator 8: In 1662, over 40 years later, slavery was officially legalized in the colonies.