First Slaves in what is now the U.S. were Greek Orthodox Christians...anyone have any personal history of their experiences to share?

[StMarina303ad]

I was surprised to learn that the first Slaves in the “New World” were not African Slaves, but Greek Orthodox Christians who were sold into slavery by the Islamic Turks.

Then after that, because they were cheaper, the Slave Runners began purchasing the Orthodox Christians from Africa’s Islamic run areas.

Then, eventually, criminal Africans were sold and later just about any African might be kidnapped and sold into slavery for a profit.

Does anyone know of any personal stories of the original Greek Orthodox Slaves that were sold to Slave Owners in Florida?

 

[jen_fla]

where did you learn this from?

thanks.

 

[churchcamefirst]

I was surprised to learn that the first Slaves in the “New World” were not African Slaves, but Greek Orthodox Christians who were sold into slavery by the Islamic Turks.

Then after that, because they were cheaper, the Slave Runners began purchasing the Orthodox Christians from Africa’s Islamic run areas.

Then, eventually, criminal Africans were sold and later just about any African might be kidnapped and sold into slavery for a profit.

Does anyone know of any personal stories of the original Greek Orthodox Slaves that were sold to Slave Owners in Florida?

Never learned this one…

 

[Silouan]

I was surprised to learn that the first Slaves in the “New World” were not African Slaves, but Greek Orthodox Christians who were sold into slavery by the Islamic Turks.
?

When I was first read this I thought, this is highly possible, because this is how Muslims acquire slaves by conquering land, but as I starting thinking, the Islamic Turks were Hanafi in Fiqh, and it is my understanding the Slavery is prohibited in this Islamic Legal school. But at the same time, it still does not rule out that it happened, the Islamic tucks who enslaved the Greek Orthodox Christians may have followed another legal opinion within the school or may have decided to follow an opinion in another Islamic legal school.

So I would like to know the source of this information. It is very interesting indeed. While it is possible, I have my doubts as well.

In Christ,

Silouan

 

[Catholic_Dude]

Does anyone know of any personal stories of the original Greek Orthodox Slaves that were sold to Slave Owners in Florida?

Yes. St Augustine* and the Latins opened up a trading post in Miami where they forced the slaves to shave their beards and recite the Filioque, those who refused were sent to Haiti to be subjected to the Voodoo institutions the which the Jesuits established. What most people don’t know is that America through the help of the Catholics became rich off of the backs of the Orthodox. Martin Luther (King Jr) was a descendant of the Patriarch.

*You have heard of St Augustine, Florida, I assume.

 

[Nicholas82]

I’ve never heard of any such thing… what time period do you contend this happened in and where in the “new world”? I find it really hard to believe but I’ve been wrong many, many times.

 

[Catholic_Dude]

I’ve never heard of any such thing… what time period do you contend this happened in and where in the “new world”? I find it really hard to believe but I’ve been wrong many, many times.

I was always under the impression the mass majority of slaves were taken from western Africa, the western half of Africa was never influenced by Christianity or Islam, thus the slaves were not Catholic/Orthodox (and especially not Muslim, it is forbidden to enslave another Muslim).

 

[RC_Matt]

Yes. St Augustine* and the Latins opened up a trading post in Miami where they forced the slaves to shave their beards and recite the Filioque, those who refused were sent to Haiti to be subjected to the Voodoo institutions the which the Jesuits established. What most people don’t know is that America through the help of the Catholics became rich off of the backs of the Orthodox. Martin Luther (King Jr) was a descendant of the Patriarch.

*You have heard of St Augustine, Florida, I assume.

Yeah, and it’s really a sad thing that the Traditional Jesuit Voodoo has largely been lost. After Voodoo II, they dropped the Latin and began to cast spells in the vernacular.

 

[Nicholas82]

I was always under the impression the mass majority of slaves were taken from western Africa, the western half of Africa was never influenced by Christianity or Islam, thus the slaves were not Catholic/Orthodox (and especially not Muslim, it is forbidden to enslave another Muslim).

That is my understanding as well. Most African slaves seem to have been sub-saharan and from the Western coast of the continent. Without a source and off nothing more than what I know(or at least what I think I know) I really don’t believe this. I am always open to being proven wrong…

 

[Nicholas82]

Without a source and from what I know(or at least what I think I know) I don’t believe this. I am always open to being proven wrong though…

 

[Catholic_Dude]

Yeah, and it’s really a sad thing that the Traditional Jesuit Voodoo has largely been lost. After Voodoo II, they dropped the Latin and began to cast spells in the vernacular.

And what is worse is the Trads say those spells are invalid, yet all the while the average American Catholic is too clueless to know the difference (its all Greek to them).

“πro mvltis” = “4all”

 

[ralphinal]

I would love to see support for this as well. I am not surprised that some Muslims held Christians as slaves (some do right now). I would be surprised if it made its way here.

 

[mlchance]

I was surprised to learn that the first Slaves in the “New World” were not African Slaves, but Greek Orthodox Christians who were sold into slavery by the Islamic Turks.

No, they weren’t. I’ve read quite a bit about slavery in the Americas, and I’ve never seen anything that even hints at this being true.

The first foreign slaves brought to North America were brought by the Spanish in 1526. Those slaves were all African. No one was sailing to the east side of the Mediterranean to pick up slaves from the Turks in order to transport those slaves to North America.

– Mark L. Chance.

 

[churchcamefirst]

This simply is not true. There were no Greek Orthodox slaves…what anyone will say is beyond me.

 

[bpbasilphx]

those who refused were sent to Haiti to be subjected to the Voodoo institutions the which the Jesuits established

CatholicDude, please tell us all about these Voodoo institutions the Jesuits started.

This simply is not true. There were no Greek Orthodox slaves…what anyone will say is beyond me.

** While Turkish mahometans frequently DID sell Orthodox and other Christians into slaver to Turkish owners (see NEW MARTYRS OF THE TURKISH YOKE), this is the first I’ve heard of any being in the New World.**

 

[b_justb]

Yeah, and it’s really a sad thing that the Traditional Jesuit Voodoo has largely been lost. After Voodoo II, they dropped the Latin and began to cast spells in the vernacular.

This is knee slapping hysterical!

 

[StMarina303ad]

This simply is not true. There were no Greek Orthodox slaves…what anyone will say is beyond me.

The name of the book I was first exposed to this, escapes me at the moment, but you can visit St.Augustine, FL’s website which speaks about the monument in their city which honors those Greek Orthodox Slaves: discoverourtown.com/FL/St.%20Augustine/Attractions-130.html

*“St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine 41 St. George Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084, 904-829-8205, A living memorial to the first Greek settlers who came as slaves in 1768, this shine is called “The Jewel of St. George Street” and features a magnificent Orthodox Chapel filled with Byzantine style frescoes, as well as a historic museum that contains exhibits such as artifacts, photographs, and historical documents and which tells the story of the First Greek Colony in the New World. more…” *

 

[StMarina303ad]

This is knee slapping hysterical!

The name of the book I was first exposed to this, escapes me at the moment, but you can visit St.Augustine, FL’s website which speaks about the monument in their city which honors those Greek Orthodox Slaves: discoverourtown.com/FL/St.%20Augustine/Attractions-130.html

*“St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine 41 St. George Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084, 904-829-8205, A living memorial to the first Greek settlers who came as slaves in 1768, this shine is called “The Jewel of St. George Street” and features a magnificent Orthodox Chapel filled with Byzantine style frescoes, as well as a historic museum that contains exhibits such as artifacts, photographs, and historical documents and which tells the story of the First Greek Colony in the New World. more…” *

 

[StMarina303ad]

where did you learn this from?

thanks.

The name of the book I was first exposed to this, escapes me at the moment, but you can visit St.Augustine, FL’s website which speaks about the monument in their city which honors those Greek Orthodox Slaves: discoverourtown.com/FL/St.%20Augustine/Attractions-130.html

*“St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine 41 St. George Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084, 904-829-8205, A living memorial to the first Greek settlers who came as slaves in 1768, this shine is called “The Jewel of St. George Street” and features a magnificent Orthodox Chapel filled with Byzantine style frescoes, as well as a historic museum that contains exhibits such as artifacts, photographs, and historical documents and which tells the story of the First Greek Colony in the New World. more…” *

 

[rtconstant]

No, they weren’t. I’ve read quite a bit about slavery in the Americas, and I’ve never seen anything that even hints at this being true.

The first foreign slaves brought to North America were brought by the Spanish in 1526. Those slaves were all African. No one was sailing to the east side of the Mediterranean to pick up slaves from the Turks in order to transport those slaves to North America.

– Mark L. Chance.

Yes African slavery was introduced to the New World by the Spaniards, who picked it up from the Portugese, who had picked it up from Arabic slavers who had been practicing classical slavery since the 8th century and who had extensive contact with Southern Europe.

Technically the first slaves in the New World were natives, however the introduction of new diseases caused a high mortality rate among the natives, “white” slavery was briefly approached as the next institution to exploit the resources of the New World but numbers were not sufficient for that and then African slavery came into force as a major institution. There were African slaves before then but it was not a major insitution in the New World until around the 1520’s.

It is possible that before African Slavery became a massive source of revenue in itself that some of the earliest African slaves could have been from Eastern Africa and were simply bought or traded from Arabic slavers. At first African slaves were only allowed in small numbers into the New World so it is entirely possible that some of the first were Orthodox or possibly even Muslim. Of course inter-trading with Arabs probably would have kept some filtering in. Though I would doubt it would have approached anything institutional in scale. Could be wrong though.

Also, its possible that latter as the English and Dutch began to surpass the Spanish and Portugese as the primary slavers of Europe that Chrisitian and Muslim slaves could have started to increase. Yet, I can’t say for sure on that as I haven’t studied this issue with religion in focus before.