Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
54 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
What were the major empires in West Africa prior to European contact, and what caused them to go into decline?
|
1.Empire of Ghana
- Commercial and religious rivalry (trade competitors) finally destroyed Ghana. 2. Empire of Mali - Declined after Mansa Musa's death, empire's leading families competed with each other for wealth and people began to rebel. 3. Songhai Empire - Portuguese explorers and raiders from Morocco moved into the Songhai Empire, Songhai was defeated by Moroccans in 1591. |
|
|
How did the major West African empires differ in structure from the societies that emerged in the Senegambian region and the Kongo/Angola region?
|
Senegambian Region:
- Diverse languages, economies, political systems including the Akan, Dahomey, Yoruba, and Ibo. West African empires: - Not as diverse |
|
|
What economic, political, and social similarities existed among West African societies prior to European contact?
|
Economic: based on combination of agriculture and trade
Social: Villages were constructed around complex systems of family, community, & lineage. Political: Local leadership of kings So basically West African societies were all based on trade and agriculture, status came from family and kinship, etc. |
|
|
What was the purpose of "secret" societies in West Africa and how did they function?
|
Purpose of secret societies is to bring balance and order to their communities.
- Regulated acceptable standards of behavior & doled out punishment to those who violated the rules of society - Initiated the youth into adulthood with sex education, established standards of behavior and punished those who violated the rules. |
|
|
What were the differing roles for men and women in most West African societies prior to European contact?
|
Men roles:
- Men held most of political power - Male elders possessed most of power & respect Women roles: - Elder women made most decisions because of spiritual powers - Women sometimes held gov't positions - Women held most economic and spiritual power |
|
|
In what ways did servitude in West Africa differ from slavery in the Americas?
|
1. West African societies were never politically or economically dependent on slave labor.
2. Never a permanent slave holding class. 3. Opportunity for social mobility, & status was rarely inherited 4. No defining mark of "race". |
|
|
What factors caused Europeans to consider expansion, and why did they specifically begin exploring the west coast of Africa?
|
Motivations:
1. Population Boom - Scarcity of land 2. High Yield Agricultural production - Technological advancement made it possible to produce large quantities of groups and raw materials 3. The Renaissance - The Europeans, specifically the Portuguese were interested in trade with these African kingdoms. |
|
|
How and why did the trade in humans from Africa to the Americas begin? What social, political, and economic forces caused the trans-Atlantic trade to develop?
|
- Began when Christopher Columbus explored the Americas and enslaved the American Indians.
- The expansion of the Spanish, the Portuguese, and English led to the trans-Atlantic trade. |
|
|
Why were Africans willing to trade humans?
|
1. Military and political weakness
2. Economic dependence - West Africans are dependent on luxury items Europeans provided 3. Issues of identity - Africans didn't see themselves as members of the same group, so there was nothing wrong with selling to Americans. |
|
|
According to historian Winthrop Jordan, what ideas did the English have about Africans prior to arriving in West Africa? What did the English think about Africans after encountering them, and how did these ideas serve to justify slavery?
|
Prior to arriving in West Africa, English:
1. Had negative ideas about Africa, & blackness, before they ever encountered 2. Dark skin was a mark of inferiority 3. Africans were not Christian, viewed as heathens (irreligious person) 4. Issues of savagery - English questioned the origins of Africans & wondered if they were actually human. After encountering them, English thought of them as: - Chattel, "personal property" - Slavery being based on race These ideas served to justify slavery since the Europeans believed that they do no more work that other members of the community, even their master; their food, clothing, and lodging were nearly the same as theirs. |
|
|
What were the four stages of the Middle Passage, and what occurred in each phase?
|
1. Capture
- Kidnapping and raiding parties of mainly young, strong men enforced through warfare and gunpowder. 2. The Long March - Africans were tied together and marched 200 miles - Traders conducted business, captives would change owners several times 3. Arrival on coast - Africans were sold in one of two methods: I. Africans loaded onto ships anchored off the coast where they might wait 6 months for a full cargo. II. Africans would be placed in permanent sites - factories of barracoons, until enough Africans were gathered to fill a ship. 4. Journey to Americas - The trip onboard ships from Africa to the Americas was the final phase of the Middle Passage. |
|
|
What strategies did ship captains use during the Middle Passage to try to maximize their "profit?"
|
Ship captains used strategies such as:
- Make sure Africans got fresh air and "exercise" - Allowed them to shave, wash with fresh water and soap - Some cases, live Africans were thrown overboard to prevent spread of disease and to collect insurance money |
|
|
What strategies did Africans use to cope with their conditions during the Middle Passage?
|
1.Depression
- 2/3rds of deaths were caused by melancholy. 2. Suicide - Ship crews were trained to restrain Africans from taking their lives 3. Revolts Ex: Amistad - Revolts were common, but rarely successful. |
|
|
What criteria did slaveholders use to determine if the "seasoning" process had been successful?
|
1. Survival
- Many Africans did not survive seasoning 2. Adaptation to new foods and climate 3. Learning a new language - Slaves had to speak a dialect well enough to obey commands |
|
|
What is "seasoning"?
|
A process up to two years of acculturating slaves and breaking them in to plantation routines.
- Happens after landing and sale to white plantation owners |
|
|
How did the institution of slavery develop in the English colonies in North America? What was the legal structure of slavery and servitude and how did it develop?
|
- Originally no legal structure but only regulations that prevented enslaving "Christian souls."
- Institution for slavery develop as the demand for labor in tobacco production grew. Legal structures of slavery: - In 1641, Massachusetts became the first English colony in North America to recognize slavery as a legal institution - In 1663, Virginia court stated slavery would be inherited status - from mother to child. |
|
|
What was significant about Anthony Johnson's story and what does it tell us about the nature of slavery and freedom in colonial America?
|
Significance:
- Anthony Johnson turned from a slave in servitude into a tobacco planter - Showed that slavery was hierarchical system and even free slaves acquired their own servants, livestock, and land. |
|
|
What explanations have historians offered to explain how slavery in the Americas became based on races?
|
- English assumed Africans to be inferior and in the 1640s, courts in the South reflect the assumption that people of African descent served their master for life rather than a set term
- The English had always distinguished between how they treated those who were physically and culturally different from them - Africans had less rights, ex: couldn't bear arms or become Christians - African slaves became cheaper as white indentured servants became more expensive. |
|
|
What were the key factors that created a distinction between indentured servitude and slavery, and what kinds of laws were established to reinforce the differences between these categories?
|
- Indentured servitude was people working someone for a set number of years, still free and had rights
- Slavery was where people were private property to their owners for the rest of their lives and have no rights at all Laws: - Slave codes defined American slavery as a system to exploit labor of African descent. - Slaves could not testify against white people in court, own property, leave their master's estate without a pass, enter into contracts, marry, bear arms, etc. |
|
|
What laws were developed to restrict the rights of free Blacks during the colonial era?
|
Slave codes:
- Controlled people of African descent to exploit their labor Slaves: - Couldn't testify against white people in court - congregate in groups larger than 3 or 4 - Enter into contracts - Marry - Bear arms |
|
|
What major differences existed between Northern slavery and Southern slavery during the colonial period? What about nature of slavery in the urban areas vs. the rural areas?
|
- Main differences between North and South slavery:
- Type of Labor South was based on large-scale plantations - Size of African population Population had to be larger in order to perform massive labor. - Rural slavery was based on small farms or households, enslaved Africans were scattered and isolated - Urban slavery was common in cities like NYC, Philly, Boston: all have a larger black population and important socially to form black communities. |
|
|
In what ways were Black women's lives during the colonial era similar to their male counterparts? In what ways were they different?
|
Similarities:
- In some areas, black women are able to gain freedom in some way just like black men. - Most black women worked in plantation fields Differences: - Black women mothered their children and cooked for their families - They suffered from inadequate medical attention while giving birth |
|
|
In what ways was the system of slavery profitable in the North? How, for example, did a region like New England profit from slavery?
|
The system of slavery in the north was based more on trade & the shipping industry
- African slaves were profitable since they were utilized as sailors, shipbuilders, or in menial labor like loading & unloading the ships. |
|
|
How and why did slavery develop and expand in the Chesapeake region? What was the nature of slavery in that region and how did it compare to conditions in the Carolinas?
|
- Slavery developed in the Chesapeake region as the result of increased demand for tobacco.
- Nature of slavery consisted of long hours in the field, performing back breaking work Compared to Carolinas: - Centered on rice cultivation which Africans knew how to grow. - Africans performed all the work to establish the colonies: cleared the land, opened canals, drained swamps, work the rice lands, etc. |
|
|
How did the gang system compare to the task system, and what would it have meant for the lives of enslaved people?
|
Gang system - where most slaves worked harder and longer in groups
The gang system was much harsher than the task system which gave more freedom. - Mixed workers with tasks that suited their physical capability: they were monitored heavily and worked with factor precision. |
|
|
How does your textbook describe the housing, food, and clothing for enslaved people in the colonial period? What does it tell us about slavery during this period?
|
- Housing was minimal and often temporary for enslaved people, although it became more substantial as the 18th century progressed
Ex: Chesapeake - log cabins with few windows - Food consisted of corn, yams, pork, etc. It was full of simplicity. - Slave dress was minimal - This tells us that slavery life was better than during the Middle Passage, but slaves still had minimal housing, food, and clothing. |
|
|
What methods did enslaved people in the colonial era use to resist against slavery?
|
Sullen goldbricking (evading assigned work), sabotage, escape, and rebellion.
- These methods were not part of the antislavery effort to free all slaves - Instead aimed to force masters to make concessions with framework of slavery and relieve friends and families from suffering |
|
|
How did the Great Awakening expand to enslaved people, and what influence does your reading say that this movement had on the African population? How did it influence race relations and what components of African spirituality remained alive during the Great Awakening?
|
Great Awakening - religious revival in African American religion.
- This religious movement made African Americans convert to Christians which was a step towards freedom and equality - Recognized that white preaching styles were similar with West African "spirit possession". - This helped shape American society since it was a evangelical movement of spiritual equality and increased mutual black-white acculturation - Components such as African American churches: dancing, shouting, clapping, and singing - African American funerals: loud and joyous with dancing, laughing, and drinking. |
|
|
Despite the trauma of enslavement and the Middle Passage, enslaved Africans remained connect to their African past. In what ways did African culture influence Black people's spiritual beliefs in colonial America?
|
- African culture influenced spiritual beliefs in colonial America since they believed that death was just a phase in the life cycle.
- After death, it was believed that one's soul would return to Africa after physical death and join the ancestors. - Also Africans held funerals and burial practices which were some of the most common ways in which Africans in the Americas maintained their cultural beliefs & rituals - Wandering funerals were also a West African custom, the idea behind it was the corpse would pass by everyone in the region, & if anyone has done wrong to the deceased, their soul would punish them. |
|
|
What was significant about the story of the African Burial Ground, and what can the findings teach us about life and culture among enslaved people in colonial New York?
|
- The significant of the African Burial Ground was how most enslaved Africans resisted against slavery by remaining culturally and spiritually connected to their African past.
- These findings teaches us that the life and culture of enslaved people in colonial New York was centered around African spiritual beliefs: heads of bodies were facing westward towards the setting of the sun, beads were on some bodies to mark the passages of life. |
|
|
In what ways did the African Burial Ground demonstrate the retention of African culture among enslaved people?
|
The African Burial Ground showed the remembrance of African culture through:
- Careful positioning of the bodies facing westward at the setting of the sun - Burial #340: a black woman's body contained over 111 beads which represented important passages of life: blue beads indicated love for deceased, cowrie shells symbolized passage in death across the sea - return to Africa or afterlife. - Burial #101: Coffin with a heart-shaped pattern representing the Sankofa symbol meaning: Look to the past to inform your future. |
|
|
What examples of African culture could be found in Black resistance movements in colonial America?
|
Examples:
1. 1712 revolt - enslaved Africans consulted with "Peter the Doctor", a conjured man who gave them powders and incantations that were believed to protect them when they wen to "war" against whites. 2. 1741 revolt - the conjure man used many aspects of Afriacn culture such as using loyalty oaths sealed by a potion of graveyard dirt. - Participants stepped inside a chalk cosmogram to seal their commitment to each other |
|
|
What similarities existed between the major resistance movements during the colonial period?
|
Most major resistance movements was led by a conjured man among the enslaved people.
- Most of these revolts were influenced by African spirituality from their culture. |
|
|
What strategies did the colonists use to try to prevent future rebellions?
|
Strategies such as the passage of the "Negro Act" which made it illegal for slaves to assemble into groups, or learn to read.
|
|
|
What were the major influences on Black political thought during the Revolutionary Era? How, specifically, did the Enlightenment influence Black intellectuals such as Phillis Wheatley and Benjamin Banneker during this period?
|
Influenced from men such as John Locke of the Enlightenment era, society was governed by a set of natural laws, including liberty.
- Thomas Paine was another influence who questions how American rebels complain about not enough slaves when they hold over thousands in slavery. - The Enlightenment influenced black intellectuals through adoption of white culture and made them aware of issues of human equality associated with the American Revolution - Phyllis Wheatley was influenced by John Locke's idea concerning the influence of environment on human beings |
|
|
During the Revolutionary War, enslaved people used petitions as a way to protest against slavery. What common themes could be found in these petitions?
|
Common themes such as freedom and equality as well as the fact that black people could be good citizens if they were given a chance.
- Some demanded freedom for slaves, but not citizenship - Directly drew upon the language of the Revolution to strength their argument. |
|
|
What was significant about Felix's petition and hat can it teach us about the perspective of enslaved Africans during this period?
|
Felix's petition showed that slaves wanted to be free for their country and demanded freedom over their own citizenship in this country.
- Slaves are mainly fighting for freedom under their "Father" and his spiritual beliefs from African culture and will go as far as leaving the U.S. and go back to Africa. |
|
|
In what ways did Black protest during the Revolutionary War expose contradictions in the beliefs of American rebels? How did petitions and "freedom suits" seek to expose these contradictions?
|
Petition from Boston expose these contradictions of negatives of blacks by saying that even blacks as men have a natural ad unalienable right to freedom which was stated in the Declaration of Independence.
- This forced white people confront the contradiction between the new nation's professed ideals and its reality - Also, John Locke contended that at the base of human laws were natural rights all people shared. - Revolutionary principles were incompatible with slavery as the British pointed out - Slaves had based freedom suits and sued on the basis of principles of universal liberty |
|
|
What roles did African Americans play during the Revolutionary War, and what was their overall strategy?
|
- African Americans were all loyal to the principle of the right to freedom.
- Their role centered around fighting for slavery, enslaved Africans fought on both sides of the war Strategy: - Enslaved Africans carefully chose sides according to which group they thought would extent them freedom. |
|
|
What promises did the English and the Americans make to African Americans during the Revolutionary War, and what as the outcome?
|
The English and Americans promised to grant freedom to slaves that sided with them
Ex: Lord Dunmore's Proclamation - George Washington used the same tactic and provide freedom to black men who fought with the Americans. Outcome: Betrayal and most black patriots were not given freedom after the war but instead were re-enslaved. |
|
|
What was the significance of Lord Dunmore's Proclamation and in what ways did it influence both African Americans' lives and the outcome of the Revolutionary War?
|
A decree issued by the English promising freedom to all enslaved people who sought refuge (fought on their side) with them.
- This influenced African Americans' lives by allowing them to join the English army and caused over 1/5 of slave population to flee the plantations and fight behind British military lines. - This helped start the anti-slavery movement. |
|
|
In what ways did the English and the Americans betray their promises to African Americans following the war?
|
Some blacks were re-enslaved and sold into slavery in the Caribbean which was much more harsh.
- Blacks were not given military benefits for their service nor freedom after the war |
|
|
How and why did the Haitian Revolution occur?
|
It was inspired by the radical French thought who believed that free blacks should be given full citizenship.
Why: The free black population began to pressure the colonial gov't for their rights which caused instability in the gov't. |
|
|
In what specific ways did the Haitian Revolution influence slave revolts in the South?
|
It influenced slave revolts in the South since it symbolized the destruction of slavery and became the first independent Black nation in the Western hemisphere.
|
|
|
How and why did Gabriel's conspiracy take shape and why did it fail?
|
- Gabriel's conspiracy took shape when he met several black men who were relocated in the middle of the Haitian Revolution; these men gave him information about the revolution and told him they should rise up and kill the White men.
- It failed due to an unexpected storm making the roads impassable. Eventually the plot was betrayed by informers and the uprising was crushed. |
|
|
What specific strategies did Denmark Vesey use to gain support for his conspiracy, and in what ways did he incorporate African spirituality? What was the ultimate goal of Vesey's rebellion?
|
- Vesey used Christianity and religious gatherings to gain a group of followers.
-Specifically, he used imagery from the bible about Israelities escaping bondage. He incorporated African spirituality through his right-hand man, Gullah Jack who was a conjured man that practiced rituals. Goal: Vesey was trying to appeal to different groups within the black community - those who accepted Christianity, and those who still practiced spirituality. |
|
|
What was the significance of the 1739 Stono Rebellion?
|
- Strengthen the institution of slavery after passage of a more restrictive "Negro Act" that made it illegal for slaves to assemble in groups, or learn to read.
|
|
|
What was the result of the 1712 revolt?
|
- Led to the passage of new laws:
- Not allowed to gather in groups larger than 3 - Not allowed after dark, this clearly had a huge effet on burial traditions - White colonist knew the power of African beliefs among enslaved people |
|
|
What were some of the legal codes of slavery as a result of Bacon's Rebellion?
|
1. Slave status based on race
2. Sanctioned slavery for life. 3. Made slave status hereditary (inherited, mother to child) 4. Made slaves chattel - legal "property" |
|
|
What were the Negro Acts?
|
- Even Africans that were free had to agree under the Negro Act.
1. Denied all rights to vote, own property, testify in court, or have freedom of mobility 2. Place restrictions on rights of owners to free their slaves. 3. Laws prohibited the existence of free blacks in their territories |
|
|
What was El Mina and when did it occur during the Middle Passage?
|
"The Mine" was the first factory in West Africa- built by the Portuguese in 1481.
- The Door of No Return - This occurred during the second to last step of when Africans arrived on the coast - This was one method where Africans were placed in permanent sites before enough Africans could fill up a ship. |
|
|
What is tight packing?
|
A method for ship captains to transport human cargo in the most cost-efficient way.
- This allowed ship captains to transport more Africans & potentially receive more profit - Each person were barely given enough space to lie down, filthed, overcrowded, etc. |
|
|
What are barracoons?
|
Enclosed areas in Factories where Africans were placed until enough Africans were accumulated to fill a ship.
- Held for 6 days to 6 months - Only given enough food to survive |
|
|
What is seasoning?
|
A disciplinary process intended to modify the behavior and attitude of slaves and make them effective laborers.
To determine the success of seasoning: 1) Survival 2) Adaptation to new foods and climate 3) Learning new languages |
