Mathias de Sousa

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Mathias de Sousa
Legislator
(circa 1600s- circa 1600s)
United States

Possibly of African and Portuguese descent, Mathias de Sousa was an indentured servant brought to Maryland, USA by Jesuit missionaries in 1634. His indenture was finished by 1638, and he became a mariner and fur trader. He served in the 1642 legislative assembly of freemen. As such. he is the first African American to sit in any legislative body in what would become the United States. Until 1670, even freemen of color such as de Sousa had the right to vote..

“I wanted to bring Mathias de Sousa to life on a carefree day on Kent Island, Colonial Maryland. My artist palette included white, pinks, yellows, raw umber, and burnt sienna. For this painting, I used a dry canvas technique (no wash for canvas preparation) and various artistic mediums: watercolor, oils, acrylics, oil pastels, black ink, pencils, and broken lines to show de Sousa’s strong facial features, giving him a rugged but approachable look.”

- Artist Rose MG Jackson

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