July 30, 2019: Four hundred years ago today—July 30, 1619—the first representative government in the American colonies was established. The House of Burgesses met in the Jamestown Church “to establish one equal and uniform government over all Virginia.”[1]
As with many historical firsts, the event itself wasn’t all that great. The story was recounted in my book The Sun Is Still Rising: Politics Has Failed but America Will Not:
“'It was hot and humid and many of the Burgesses were ill from the extreme temperatures.' One of the 22 elected representatives died from the heat and the entire session was concluded after just six days. Thus began America’s long and generally successful experiment with self-governance. However, in a twist of fate worthy of a Greek tragedy, the first enslaved people arrived in the same town just a few weeks later. They were probably literate and Christian, having been abducted by Portuguese slave traders from what is now Angola. British pirates raided the Portuguese ship, took roughly two dozen captives as their prize, and sold them in Jamestown. Thus began America’s great national sin, a sin that has haunted the nation for four centuries. These two narratives—one positive and one negative—have competed and
interacted to define America ever since. These dueling histories directly impact the way we perceive events today. We see it in the polarized responses every time any racially charged event bursts into the news."
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