It was a human cargo of about 20 Africans. Not a lot is known about these people, but none of them were listed on later paperwork as slaves. Instead, they were listed along with non-Africans as servants, and William Tucker, the first black man born in the colonies, was reportedly free. It is unknown whether the "servant" title was different from slavery, or if there was a limit to their servitude as with the non-African "servants."
Later, in 1640, the colony of Jamestown officially instituted slavery, and at least one of these original 20 had been declared a slave at that time.
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