Myne Owne Ground Summary

The first chapter in Myne Owne Ground describes the life of Anthony Johnson, who was sent to the Virginia colony around 1621 from Angola to serve as an indentured servant to Edward Bennett on the Bennett Plantation. It’s strange to call him an indentured servant, however there was no actual terminology to describe what a slave is until later in the court case between Anthony Johnson and Robert Parker over rights to a freed African slave whose name was John Casor. Mary, his later wife, arrived to the plantation year after the Indians attacked the Bennett plantation leaving only 12 alive, Anthony who was one. Anthony was fortunate to be with Mary and have kids because in this newfound colony, women were scarce. Johnson’s status of becoming free was clear but how and who freed him
Eventually he built his wealth back up and moved to Maryland with his family where he acquired a lease for 300 acres of land. He shortly died after this only leaving his legacy and his sons’ legacy. His wife Mary renogiatied the lease for 99 years and to use the land she paid colony taxes and rent of one ear of Indian corn. In chapter 2, the origins of slavery in the colony of Virginia are discussed as to how it came upon them and why. The mutual relationship between blacks and whites in the colony of Virginia and laws about are discussed as well as gun ownership between whites and blacks and who had the right to carry a firearm and who didn’t. There were also two cases of runaways mentioned in this chapter. The first case involved Hugh Gywn’s servants who ran away to Maryland and caused him great “loss and prejudice.” The first two who were of Dutch and Scottish descent recived 30 lashes each. The negro who ran away, John Punch, received not only 30 “stripes” but was also ordered by the courts to serve the rest of his natural life to Gwyn. The other case involved seven men who fled the Dutch