dec 1, 1634 - Mathias de Sousa, an indentured servant of African descent, arrives in Maryland aboard the Ark

Description:

He was a servant in the charge of Father Andrew White, a Catholic priest. He labored hard until 1638, when the priests allowed the slaves to go free. He then lived as a fur trader and a sailor. He became captain of a trading ship owned by a Secretary in the Maryland government. He was elected as a representative at an Assembly meeting soon after, becoming the first free black man in a government position in the Colonies.

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