--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The biggest surprise for me, without a…" description: "\"The biggest surprise for me, without a doubt, was that the first black people who came to the United States weren't the 20 who arrived in Jamestown in ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/henry-louis-gates-2372_african_the-biggest-surprise-for-me-without-a-do_845910.jpg" --- # The biggest surprise for me, without a doubt, was that the… ![“The biggest surprise for me, without a doubt, was that the first black people who came to the United States weren't the 20 who arrived in Jamestown in 1619. All of us had been taught that. The first African came to Florida in 1513. And the huge shock is we know his name, Juan Garrido, and that he…” quote by Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/henry-louis-gates-2372_african_the-biggest-surprise-for-me-without-a-do_845910.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/henry-louis-gates-2372_african_the-biggest-surprise-for-me-without-a-do_845910.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/158/henry-louis-gates-2372_african_the-biggest-surprise-for-me-without-a-do_845910.jpg) > “The biggest surprise for me, without a doubt, was that the first black people who came to the United States weren't the 20 who arrived in Jamestown in 1619. All of us had been taught that. The first African came to Florida in 1513. And the huge shock is we know his name, Juan Garrido, and that he wasn't a slave. He was free!” [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early African presence in America predates commonly taught dates, showing diverse origins. **In simple terms:** Black history began earlier than taught. Key Takeaway Learn the fuller story. Themes history identity education Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type educational historical When to use this quote - school curricula - public talks - museum exhibits - family genealogy Key Concepts colonialism migration freedom Questions to Reflect On - Why does this earlier history matter? - How can we integrate it into mainstream narratives? A Different Perspective Complex narratives can be contested. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-people/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Florida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/florida/) [Jamestown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jamestown/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shock/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) ## Related quotes > [The biggest surprise for me, without a doubt, was that the first black people who came to the United States weren't the 20 who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/the-biggest-surprise-for-me-without-a-doubt-was-that-the-first-black-2/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [I realized that I was African when I came to the United States. Whenever Africa came up in my college classes, everyone turned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/i-realized-that-i-was-african-when-i-came-to-the-united-states/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [Now many things are beginning to come out and it was truly a reality to me when I went to Africa, to Guinea. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/now-many-things-are-beginning-to-come-out-and-it-was-truly-a-reality/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [I didn't have much, but I was always happy to share what I did have. It seemed like every African that came to New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-makeba/i-didn-t-have-much-but-i-was-always-happy-to-share-what-i-did-have-it/) [Miriam Makeba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-makeba/) > [My identity is not based on performance; it's based on something that's pre-determined by someone else, and I don't even understand what that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toyin-odutola/my-identity-is-not-based-on-performance-it-s-based-on-something-that/) [Toyin Odutola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toyin-odutola/) > [ You had one guy who was a slave, and another who wasn't. And I actually know what happened to them. \[Juan \] Garrido ended… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/you-had-one-guy-who-was-a-slave-and-another-who-wasn-t-and-i-actually/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [The first slave came to Florida in 1526. The first one we know by name, Esteban, which means Stephen, came a couple of years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/the-first-slave-came-to-florida-in-1526-the-first-one-we-know-by-name/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [Jamestown was a very small town and I was thrilled to be there. It was interesting at first be adapting to the pro ball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-taylor/jamestown-was-a-very-small-town-and-i-was-thrilled-to-be-there-it-was/) [Graham Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-taylor/) > [Jamestown changed the world in many ways, but perhaps it shaped our nation most profoundly the day Africans arrived. I can't think of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tavis-smiley/jamestown-changed-the-world-in-many-ways-but-perhaps-it-shaped-our/) [Tavis Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tavis-smiley/) > [Since I got to the big leagues, there's been a whole lot of Direct-TV sold in Jamestown. People like to keep up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darin-erstad/since-i-got-to-the-big-leagues-there-s-been-a-whole-lot-of-direct-tv/) [Darin Erstad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darin-erstad/) > [That's true that I'm "not religious as that term is conventionally understood," though I've never been an atheist. Atheism is an active faith; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-stark/that-s-true-that-i-m-not-religious-as-that-term-is-conventionally/) [Rodney Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-stark/) > [I first reported to our Marlins spring training complex in Jupiter as well as the other draft picks to receive physicals and to sign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-taylor/i-first-reported-to-our-marlins-spring-training-complex-in-jupiter-as/) [Graham Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-taylor/) > [No nation is better than its sacred book. 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But if we put a one in front of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-farrakhan/there-in-the-middle-of-this-mall-is-the-washington-monument-555-feet/) [Louis Farrakhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-farrakhan/) ## More by Henry Louis Gates > [In Ethiopia, the black people became Christians 1700 years ago, hundreds of years before Northern Europe turned to Christianity... And here, most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/in-ethiopia-the-black-people-became-christians-1700-years-ago/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [I don't think the riots derailed the civil rights movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/i-don-t-think-the-riots-derailed-the-civil-rights-movement/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [Politicians will not put forth programs aimed at the problems of poor blacks while their turnout remains so low.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/politicians-will-not-put-forth-programs-aimed-at-the-problems-of-poor/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [I'm a tech geek. Whenever I read about something new, I think to myself, How can I take this and make it black?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/i-m-a-tech-geek-whenever-i-read-about-something-new-i-think-to-myself/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [I think that the implication of King's assassination has not been fully appreciated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/i-think-that-the-implication-of-king-s-assassination-has-not-been/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [I want to be remembered as someone who tried to bring the story of our ancestors to the broadest possible audience. I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/i-want-to-be-remembered-as-someone-who-tried-to-bring-the-story-of/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [In 1957, when I was in second grade, black children integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. We watched it on TV. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/in-1957-when-i-was-in-second-grade-black-children-integrated-central/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [Since the day Martin Luther King was killed, the black middle classes have almost quadrupled, but the percentage of black children living on or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/since-the-day-martin-luther-king-was-killed-the-black-middle-classes/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [Diversity doesn't mean black and white only.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/diversity-doesn-t-mean-black-and-white-only/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [Because Lincoln is so closely identified with what it is to be American, everyone wants to claim him, to rewrite his story to satisfy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/because-lincoln-is-so-closely-identified-with-what-it-is-to-be/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [My grandfather was coloured, my father was Negro, and I am Black.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/my-grandfather-was-coloured-my-father-was-negro-and-i-am-black/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [Wherever you go in the history of America, there have been Black people making contributions, but their contributions have been obscured, lost, buried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/wherever-you-go-in-the-history-of-america-there-have-been-black/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [The act of writing for the slave constituted the act of creating a public, historical self, not only the self of the individual author…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/the-act-of-writing-for-the-slave-constituted-the-act-of-creating-a/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [You can say I had a severe case of 'Roots' envy. 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