An American Hero & the First Legally Declared Slave
A love-and-law crucible centered on John Casor, Virginia Johnson, and Anthony Johnson — a turning point when lifetime servitude was written into the record.
“Virginia’s first legally recognized slave was enslaved by a Black man to protect him from slavery.”
— Project logline
About
This project spotlights a little‑taught legal moment in colonial Virginia. When John Casor sought freedom, a court decision returned him to lifetime servitude under Anthony Johnson, creating precedent that foreshadowed codified race‑based slavery. The story centers human complexity — love, property, status — over easy narratives.
Format
Feature screenplay; expandable to a limited series.
Setting
Jamestown, Eastern Shore & Maryland, 1619–1670.
Themes
Law & love • Power & property • Identity & origin.
A rarely depicted legal case reveals how fluid status hardened into lifelong servitude. The narrative foregrounds agency, contradiction, and consequence.
Format viability
Feature film or 4‑part limited series. Historically grounded; character‑forward.
Research & Timeline
Key moments that inform the story (1619–1670).
1619: Earliest Africans recorded in Virginia; complex statuses ranging from captives to indentures.
1621–1635: Anthony Johnson survives the 1622 attack; becomes a free landowner on the Eastern Shore.
1640s–1655: John Casor’s contested status culminates in a court ruling that returns him to Johnson for life.
After 1655: Johnson family relocates to Maryland; subsequent property disputes and legal setbacks.
Note: This project engages with primary sources and modern scholarship; interpretations are presented with care and invite discussion.
