In 1619, the first African Americans arrived in the colonies. Only a handful of survivors had outlasted a gruesome sea voyage. They had all been taken during a raid of a Spanish ship that was sailing for the Spanish West Indies. During the next few years, many African Americans were uprooted from their homelands and forced into slavery. They were unwillingly taken from their families and tribes, forced onto slave ships, and forced to endure cruel treatment at the hands of their captors. Many of the African American women were sexually assaulted during their time on the ship, and in many cases, it would not stop when they reached port. Upon their arrival in the colonies, the slaves that survived would be auctioned off or used for collateral in trading or bartering. Originally, African Americans were given the title of an indentured servant, with the promise of being freed...