African Presence

African Presence. . , The story of Arlington would not be complete without the inclusion of the enslaved African workers who lived and worked on the property. Probate and census records show that John Custis II had numerous indentured servants and enslaved Africans. In 1655, Custis owned five enslaved persons and nine indentured servants. By 1677, he had increased his holdings to 17 enslaved persons, likely as part of his efforts to build the Arlington mansion. As his land holdings increased, he acquired more slaves. These people probably lived near the main house, and future archaeological excavations may shed more light on this location and the lives of the enslaved in greater depth. People whose families had been enslaved at Arlington were known as "Custis Slaves," and many of their descendants likely still live in the region today., Slavery in the Chesapeake , The first Africans were brought to the Chesapeake area in 1619, when an English privateer ship, the White Lion, carrying 20-30 enslaved Africans arrived near the mouth of the James River. Previously, indentured servants and the Native population did much of the hard work. We know from records associated with John Custis II that some skilled African American artisans were paid, but the vast majority of African Americans were enslaved with no compensation. These people would have done the most difficult labor on the plantations., The number of enslaved people in the region increased as agricultural production, particularly of tobacco, intensified. This made it possible for a wealthy planter class to develop. Slavery would continue until the Civil War in the 1860s, when this cruel institution that stripped people of their liberty and identity finally ended, though the fight for equality for African Americans would continue., Archaeological excavations at Arlington uncovered several building foundations. While nothing has been found to prove any one of them to have belonged to enslaved people, it is highly likely that the enslaved persons would have lived in simple quarters near the main house., How can we learn about African Americans? , While we can learn some details about Africans from historic records like probate inventories, sales, and newspapers, we often don't hear directly from the people themselves., Archaeology offers a different window for viewing the lives of enslaved people, as excavations uncover the items they used and the places where they lived., Certain artifacts are associated with African American populations, including colonoware, a type of ceramic made of local clay and fired at a low temperature. Places of this ceramic were found at the Arlington site. Colonoware has also been associated with Native American production, which is why the context in which colonoware artifacts are found is so important., More recently, archaeological research has focused on "subfloor pits," where African Americans kept collections of artifacts with ritual or religious significance. Studying these is important for understanding the identity and spiritual practices enslaved people maintained in the face of great hardship., [Captions:] , "The Old Plantation" (c. 1785-1795). Artist unknown; found in Columbia, South Carolina. Image courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation., These are examples of the types of dwellings where enslaved persons would live. These reconstructions are at Carter's Grove Plantation in Williamsburg, VA. Image courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation., Enslaved Girl by Mary Anna Randolph Custis (later Mrs. Robert E. Lee), Arlington County, Virginia, 1830. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Museum Purchase., An example of a Colonoware bowl from the Kippax Plantation (44PE49), VA. Image courtesy of Donald W. Linebaugh., Excavations of a slave dwelling at Kippax Plantation in Hopewell, VA. Image courtesy of Donald W. Linebaugh.