22 July 1640
Virginia punishes Emanuel and fellow escapees
Colonial Virginia; escape toward the Dutch colony
Virginia’s General Court punished Emanuel and six servants after an attempted escape by boat. Emanuel received thirty lashes, a brand on his cheek and shackles for a year or longer at his master’s discretion. The Dutch participant Miller received the same corporal punishments plus seven additional years of service.
Dates preserve the source’s precision. This entry is part of a selected historical record; its qualifications and sources are retained below.
Context / qualification
The men’s penalties varied. The record contradicts the claim that all European participants received lighter punishment than Emanuel. It does not explicitly impose a new life sentence on Emanuel, and it is separate from John Punch’s case earlier that month.
Sources
- Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, chapter 2, p. 30; supplied print pages, edition/year unidentified
- Virginia General Court, 9 and 22 July 1640; McIlwaine (1924), pp. 466–467 ↗
- Helen Tunnicliff Catterall, Judicial Cases (1926), vol. 1, pp. 77–78; McIlwaine court extracts and notes ↗