The first blacks imported to Virginia in 1619
A) may have been considered indentured servants by the colonists.
B) sparked an immediate rapid stream of African slaves to the British colonies.
C) were preferred to European indentured servants.
D) followed Indians into slavery.
E) arrived as independent landowners.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

There is debate among historians whether the first blacks brought to Virginia in 1619 were slaves or indentured servants. Some suggest that they were treated as indentured servants, which was a common form of labor in the early decades of British colonization, whereby individuals would work in exchange for passage to the New World and a certain period of employment after which they would become free. However, over time, the racialization of slavery in the British colonies led to the widespread enslavement of Africans.

The First Blacks Imported to Virginia in 1619