Example Of Essay On Log Writing

This article claims to solve the mysteries of the first African slaves in the Jamestown settlement. When I first read the article, I thought the evidence was thin. After going back and reading the article again, I understand how historians Engel Sluiter and John Thornton pieced the story together. It is interesting to see how the first Africans arrived in Jamestown. I had never really thought about this issue before. I appreciate this article because it educates me and forces me to think about new issues.
The article teaches that John Rolfe of Jamestown mentions two ships that arrived on the shore of Jamestown in 1619 bringing approximately twenty slaves. One of the ships was named the Treasurer. Up to now, historians thought the slaves came from a regular slave ship from the West Indies. There is actually more to the story.
While Engel Sluiter was researching Spanish America, he discovered additional information about these two ships from the same year, 1619. A Portuguese slave ship was headed to Mexico but two pirate ships robbed it. Therefore, it is interesting to know that these slaves were not even supposed to come to America. They were destined for Mexico.
John Thornton found Sluiter’s article and by researching old records found that the two ships were the Treasurer and the White Lion. The two ships robbed the slave ship known as the San Juan Batista. Documents show these two ships arrived at Jamestown and traded the Africans for food. It is shocking to me that human life can mean so little to someone that he or she will trade a life for food.
The article makes me wonder what the Africans did before they were captured as slaves. Were they slaves in their homeland? Were they farmers in their homeland? I do not see these questions answered in the article. It would be interesting to know what the slaves’ lives were like in their homeland. If they were free, what did they think of becoming servants?