The Truth Behind the White Lion, Pirates, & Virginia
In August 1619, a ship named the **White Lion** arrived at **Point Comfort** (modern-day Hampton, Virginia) carrying what would become a foundational part of American history: “20 and odd” enslaved Africans. This moment is often seen as the starting point of slavery in the British colonies, marking the beginning of a centuries-long legacy of racial exploitation. However, the story of the White Lion is more complicated than is often told, involving piracy, trickery, global conflict, and human trafficking. The White Lion was not just an ordinary ship—it was a pirate ship sailing under a Dutch flag, but pirated and operated by the British. This tangled history is crucial to understanding the true beginnings of slavery in "The New World."
Piracy, Privateers, and the White Lion
The White Lion was a privateer ship, which essentially means it was a pirate ship with a government license. During the early 17th century, European nations were frequently at war with one another, and privateers played a significant role in disrupting the enemy’s trade by seizing valuable goods—including people. The White Lion was captained by **John Jope**, and though the ship sailed under a Dutch flag, it was operated by Englishmen working for powerful English investors, such as **Sir Robert Rich, the Earl of Warwick**, a prominent figure in the British colony of Virginia.
The reason for this dual identity—Dutch flag but English crew—was largely tactical. England and Spain were at odds during this period, and Spanish ships, like the **San Juan Bautista**, frequently transported enslaved Africans from West Africa to their colonies in the Caribbean and Americas. By flying under a Dutch flag, the White Lion could disguise its true allegiance while raiding Spanish vessels.
The White Lion, along with another privateer called the **Treasurer**, intercepted the **San Juan Bautista** in the Gulf of Mexico. The San Juan Bautista was a Portuguese ship carrying enslaved Africans from Angola, destined for Spanish territories. After a fierce battle, the English privateers seized about 60 Africans from the ship and divided the captives between the White Lion and the Treasurer. The White Lion then made its way to Virginia, where the Africans were traded for food and supplies, marking the first recorded arrival of enslaved Africans in an English colony.
The White Lion’s Journey to Virginia: Piracy and Profit
The arrival of the White Lion at Point Comfort in 1619 was not a planned part of England’s colonization strategy, but rather an opportunistic moment born of piracy. The ship’s seizure of Africans from the San Juan Bautista was part of the broader pattern of privateering, which involved raiding enemy ships and selling the stolen goods or captives. For the crew of the White Lion, these Africans represented valuable "goods" that could be sold or traded, and the struggling English colony of Jamestown—hungry for resources—was eager to make the exchange.
Upon their arrival, the Africans aboard the White Lion were exchanged for food and supplies. This "exchange of goods" essentially set the stage for the formalization of slavery in Virginia. Within a few decades, the colony passed laws codifying race-based slavery therefore sealing the fate of future generations of Africans brought to the colonies that would one day become the United States.
The Plot Twist: "A License to Steal" -British Pirates Flying Under a Dutch Flag
One of the more intriguing aspects of this story is the White Lion’s use of a Dutch flag, despite being an English vessel operated by British pirates. This tactic was not uncommon during the age of piracy and privateering. England and Spain were enemies, and flying a Dutch flag gave English privateers more flexibility to avoid confrontation or deceive enemy ships. The Dutch were a rising naval power in the during this time, and their neutral status allowed English pirates to raid enemy ships without being detected.
Historical records, including ship logs and correspondence from the era, confirm that the White Lion operated under a Dutch flag at the time it intercepted the San Juan Bautista. Additionally, **Sir Robert Rich**, the Earl of Warwick, was a known backer of English privateers operating under foreign flags to evade legal repercussions and maximize profit. This practice of "legal piracy" was a common strategy during the time, sanctioned by European Kings & Queens who sought to weaken their rivals while profiting from the spoils.
One credible source is historian **James Horn**, who detailed this practice in his work, "1619: Jamestown and the Forging of American Democracy." Horn notes that the White Lion and the Treasurer were both pirate ships that seized Africans from a Portuguese ship, highlighting the fact that these ships operated under foreign flags to disguise their true identity. Horn’s work, alongside historical documents from the period, offers proof of the White Lion’s piracy and its dual identity as a Dutch-flagged vessel crewed by Englishmen.
The Aftermath: The Beginning of Slavery in Virginia
The arrival of enslaved Africans aboard the White Lion in 1619 is often cited as the "beginning" of American slavery, but the truth is more nuanced. Initially, the legal status of these Africans was unclear. Some records suggest they may have been treated similarly to indentured servants, who could earn their freedom after a set period of labor. However, over time, as the colony of Virginia grew and the demand for labor increased, the institution of slavery became more entrenched.
By the 1660s, Virginia passed laws formalizing slavery, ensuring that Africans and their descendants would be enslaved for life. The concept of race-based slavery took root, shaping the future of the colony and, eventually, the nation.
Conclusion
The White Lion’s arrival at Point Comfort in 1619 marked a critical moment in American history, but it was also a moment shaped by piracy, deception, and exploitation. The ship’s Dutch flag disguised its true British identity, and the enslaved Africans aboard were not the result of a well-planned colonial policy but rather a violent act of piracy. This event, however chaotic, set in motion the formalization of race-based slavery in the American colonies. Understanding this history challenges the simplistic narratives often told about slavery’s origins and forces us to confront the global forces of greed, warfare, and exploitation that brought it into existence.
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Sources:
1. Horn, James. *1619: Jamestown and the Forging of American Democracy*. Basic Books, 2018.
2. Eltis, David. *The Rise of African Slavery in the Americas*. Cambridge University Press, 2000.
3. Horne, Gerald. *The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Slave Resistance and the Origins of the United States of America*. NYU Press, 2014.
4. National Park Service. "The First Africans in Virginia, 1619." [https://www.nps.gov](https://www.nps.gov)