TIL that in the 1650s Anthony Johnson, an African man, won a court case that let him keep another African, John Casor, as his slave instead of ending his indentured servitude. This meant that the first legally recognized owner of a permanent slave in America was an African man.
If memory serves me correctly, the first court case involving a Black person was in the 1700s. I've forgotten the details of the case, unfortunately.
I found this on Reddit:
TIL that in the 1650s Anthony Johnson, an African man, won a court case that let him keep another African, John Casor, as his slave instead of ending his indentured servitude. This meant that the first legally recognized owner of a permanent slave in America was an African man.