And to add to the confusing nature of American history, the first
legal owner of a slave was a black man named Anthony Johnson
In 1653, John Casor, a black indentured servant whose contract Johnson appeared to have bought in the early 1640s, approached Captain Goldsmith, claiming his indenture had expired seven years earlier and that he was being held illegally by Johnson. A neighbor, Robert Parker, intervened and persuaded Johnson to free Casor.
Handwritten court ruling.
March 8, 1655
Parker offered Casor work, and he signed a term of indenture to the planter. Johnson filed a
Freedom suit against Parker in the Northampton Court in 1654 for the return of Casor. The court initially found in favor of Parker, but Johnson appealed. In 1655, the court reversed its ruling.
[17] Finding that Anthony Johnson still "owned" John Casor, the court ordered that he be returned with the court dues paid by Robert Parker.
[18]
This was the first instance of a judicial determination in the
Thirteen Colonies holding that a person who had committed no crime could be held in servitude for life.
[19][20][21][22][23]