President Obama Errs: First Slave Ships Did Not Land In Virginia, But in St. Augustine, Florida

President Obama erred: in signing the Fort Monroe National Park designation, he stated that the first slave ships landed in Virginia. In fact, they landed right here in St. Augustine, Florida. Here is Judith Seraphin's April 17, 2011 letter in the New York Times Magazine, followed by the longer, original text of her letter:

EDITED VERSION PUBLISHED SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 2011

The first slaves in the territory that we now regard as the United States were not brought to Virginia in 1619. That happened 54 years earlier, when our nation’s oldest European-founded City, St. Augustine, Fla., was founded by Spain’s Pedro Menéndez de Avilés on September 8, 1565. Menéndez’s contract with King Phillip afforded him three years to import 500 African slaves.
Judith Seraphin
St. Augustine, Fla., e-mail

LONGER VERSION SENT ON APRIL 4, 2011

Thank you for “How Slavery Ended in America” (April 3, 2011). One small correction: America’s first African slaves were not brought to Virginia in 1619. That happened 54 years earlier, when our Nation’s oldest European-founded City, St. Augustine, Florida was founded by Spain’s Pedro Menéndez de Avilés on September 8, 1565 – nearly 446 years ago. Menéndez brought slaves here. Menéndez’s contract with King Phillip afforded him three years to import 500 African slaves.
Under Spanish rule, St. Augustine was home to America’s first free black settlement (Fort Mosé, 1733) – America's First Underground Railroad ran South.
Our Lincolnville neighborhood was founded by freed slaves in 1866. Segregationists’ vicious oppression of local activists, led by Revs. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Andrew Young, helped LBJ break a Senate filibuster and enact the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
In 2014, St. Augustine will observe the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Plans are afoot for monuments to honor local activists and Rev. Young (he will be here for the dedication is June 4, 2011). Local residents are working to establish a National Civil Rights Museum and a St. Augustine National Historical Park, Seashore and Scenic Coastal Parkway. www.staugustgreen.com
Judith Seraphin, President
Lincolnville Neighborhood Association
102 South Street
St. Augustine, Florida 32084
904-829-0808
215-266-2222