The first Europeans in what is now Georgia were slave traders led by Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón.
The Spanish in the Caribbean had enslaved Africans but saw even greater possibilities in enslaving the natives of the New World. The plantations on Hispaniola and Cuba needed workers, and the Europeans thought of enslaving, rather than recruiting and paying. Georgia was closer than Africa. It was a shorter supply chain.
In 1526, Ayllón, sailing from Hispaniola with six ships and 600 people, tried to set up a settlement called San Miguel de Gualdape. Historians think it was on Sapelo Sound, between Savannah and Brunswick.
Among the 600 were enslaved Africans. Georgia historians say this is the first recorded instance of enslaved Africans arriving in what is now the United States.
The venture lasted six weeks. The Africans revolted. Native Americans attacked. Supplies ran out. Disease ravaged the Europeans, killing many, including Ayllón. His surviving lieutenants and business associates split into factions.
In November 1526, the colony broke up. Historians say 150 of the 600 made it back to Hispaniola.
I’ve heard people talk about American Exceptionalism all my life. I always wonder whether these folks read much history.
American Exceptionalism stories tend to sound like Disney movies. This story is closer to a Cormac McCarthy novel.
• Source: Christopher C. Meyers and David Williams, Georgia: A Brief History; Macon, Ga.: Mercer University Press, 2023, pp. 4-5. Usage of the name of Lucas Vázquez de Ayllón varies, but I mostly found Ayllón.
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