Historic Jamestowne

Marks the beginning of slavery in North America.

At this idyllic river-front settlement America's shameful enslavement of Africans began.  A vessel carrying “20 and odd” Africans arrived at Old Point Comfort in August 1619 and the passengers are believed to be the first Africans brought to British North America as slaves.  Their arrival ushered in the era of American slavery.

At Jamestown Settlement you will learn about the Africans’ origins in Angola, interactions with Europeans and the development of the transatlantic slave trade.  The site is part of Colonial National Historical Park. 

This image from ~1911 is believed to depict the arrival of the first 20 slaves to Jamestowne. Public domain image from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem.