American Revolution, Slavery, and Abolition Study Guide Flashcards

Flashcards matching all review questions in the lecture notes, addressing the American Revolution, pro/anti-slavery arguments, abolitionist approaches, and slave narratives.

What estimated percentage of white male colonists were Loyalists during the American Revolution?

Approximately $15\%$ to $20\%$ of white male colonists were estimated to be Loyalists.

According to the lecture, what is significant about the 'other' declarations of independence from 1776?

They demonstrated that the push for independence was a widespread, grassroots movement originating from towns, counties, and local bodies rather than just a top-down mandate from the Continental Congress.

What estimated percentage of white male colonists were Neutrals during the American Revolution?

Approximately $40\%$ of white male colonists were estimated to be Neutrals during the American Revolution.

What was the reception and reaction to Common Sense when it was first published?

It was an immediate bestseller and widely read, convincing many colonists to abandon hopes of reconciliation and embrace total independence from Great Britain.

How many 'other' declarations of independence were issued in the Spring of 1776?

There were over $90$ local declarations of independence issued by various counties, towns, and colonial bodies.

How did colonial literacy rates compare to the rest of the world at the time of the Revolution?

Colonial literacy rates were among the highest in the world, particularly in New England.

How many newspapers existed in the colonies when the Revolution began?

There were approximately $37$ to $42$ newspapers actively publishing in the colonies when the Revolution began.

According to the lecture, what were some ways Loyalists responded to the Declaration of Independence?

Loyalists responded by fleeing to Britain or Canada, joining the British Army to fight, signing loyalist petitions, or spying for British forces.

According to the lecture, what did the written instructions for delegates to the 2nd Continental Congress initially allow and forbid them to do?

The instructions allowed delegates to seek a peaceful redress of grievances and protect colonial liberties, but explicitly forbade them from declaring independence from Great Britain.

According to the lecture, what actions taken by King George III in 1775 led many in the colonies to view independence as the only remaining option?

King George III rejected the Olive Branch Petition, declared the colonies in open rebellion through the Proclamation of Rebellion, and hired German Hessians to suppress the colonists.

According to the lecture, how did the American Revolution affect slavery in the Northern states?

It launched a gradual emancipation movement, leading to laws and court rulings that slowly abolished slavery across Northern states.

According to the lecture, how did the American Revolution affect manumission laws in several Southern states?

Several Southern states temporarily eased manumission laws, making it easier for individual enslavers to voluntarily free enslaved people.

In the Declaration of Independence, why does the Continental Congress list all of the abuses of the King of England?

To prove to the world that King George III was a tyrant who had repeatedly violated their rights, legally and morally justifying their separation from Great Britain.

According to the Declaration of Independence, where does government derive its power from?

Government derives its just powers from the consent of the governed.

In the removed passage on slavery from the Declaration of Independence, what does Jefferson accuse the king of doing regarding slavery?

Thomas Jefferson accuses King George III of waging a cruel war against human nature by keeping open the transatlantic slave trade and overriding colonial efforts to restrict or abolish it.

What document does Lemuel Haynes quote from at the beginning of his text 'Liberty Further Extended'?

Lemuel Haynes quotes directly from the Declaration of Independence, specifically the premise that all men are created equal and endowed with unalienable rights.

How does Lemuel Haynes argue that slavery is wrong (illicit) in the new United States?

He applies the universal principles of natural rights and Christianity, asserting that God gave liberty to all human beings equally, making African slavery illicit and tyrannical.

What does Lemuel Haynes say about 'liberty' and 'bondage' as they relate to black and white men?

He argues that liberty is equally precious to Black men as it is to white men, and that denying liberty to Black men constitutes the exact same tyranny as placing white men in bondage.

How did attitudes about slavery shift after about 1820?

Pro-slavery defenders shifted from calling slavery a 'necessary evil' to claiming it was a 'positive good,' while anti-slavery advocates adopted more militant and immediate abolitionist positions.

How was the Free-Soil ideology different from Abolitionism?

Free-Soil ideology aimed to prevent the expansion of slavery into new Western territories to reserve land for free white labor, whereas Abolitionism sought the total, immediate moral eradication of slavery everywhere.

How did 'colonization' propose to deal with slavery?

It proposed the gradual emancipation of enslaved people paired with their forced or voluntary deportation and resettlement in Africa (such as in Liberia).

According to the lecture, what was the enslaved population of the United States in 1800, and what did it increase to by 1860?

The enslaved population was approximately $900,000$ in 1800 and grew to nearly $4,000,000$ by 1860.

What was the most popular anti-slavery position by the 1850s?

The Free-Soil position, which focused on preventing the territorial expansion of slavery into the West.

How valuable was the 'property' represented by enslaved people in 1860?

It was valued at roughly $3.5\text{ to }4\text{ billion dollars}$, making enslaved human beings worth more than all Northern manufacturing, railroads, and banks combined.

What religious arguments did defenders of slavery use?

They argued that the Bible explicitly acknowledged and sanctioned slavery in both the Old and New Testaments, noting patriarchal slaveholding and Saint Paul's injunction for slaves to obey their masters.

What political/historical arguments did defenders of slavery use?

They claimed that historic democracies like ancient Athens and Rome depended on slave labor, and argued that the U.S. Constitution recognized slave property and state sovereignty.

According to the lecture, when did the organized, politically active abolitionist movement begin?

In the early 1830s, marked by the publication of William Lloyd Garrison's The Liberator in 1831 and the founding of the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1833.

According to the lecture, what percentage of the Northern population were abolitionists before the Civil War?

Abolitionists were a small minority, accounting for only about $2\%$ to $5\%$ of the Northern population.

According to the lecture, what were the 2 basic approaches to abolishing slavery within the Abolitionist movement?

Moral suasion (appealing to conscience and religion to convince individuals slavery was sin) and political action (using political parties, legislation, and legal channels).

How does George Fitzhugh argue that the enslaved people of the South are the 'freest' and 'happiest' people in the world?

He claims they are provided for throughout life, in childhood, sickness, and old age, free from financial anxiety, unlike Northern free labor workers.

What is the primary paternalistic argument for slavery that George Fitzhugh presents?

He argues that domestic slavery protects vulnerable workers from the harsh exploitation of capital by aligning the master's personal self-interest with the long-term protection and care of the laborer.

How does George Fitzhugh criticize Northern 'capital' and free labor?

He condemns Northern industrial capitalism as 'wage slavery,' arguing that capital owners exploit workers during their productive years and abandon them to starve during sickness, unemployment, or old age.

What does the Fourth of July mean to an enslaved person, according to Frederick Douglass?

It is a day that reveals to them the gross injustice and cruelty of American hypocrisy, turning national celebrations into a mournful mock of their ongoing oppression.

What arguments does Frederick Douglass make for the 'manhood' of slaves?

He notes that Southern laws punish slaves for crimes (acknowledging moral responsibility), prohibit literacy, and rely on slaves performing all forms of skilled labor, commerce, and agriculture.

In Douglass's 4th of July speech, what does he say the United States has declared regarding 'liberty' and man's 'right to his own body'?

He points out that Americans have already acknowledged liberty as a natural right and every man as the owner of his own body, making formal debate on the matter unnecessary.

What was the 'Second Middle Passage'?

The massive, forced internal migration and domestic slave trade of over one million enslaved African Americans from the Upper South to the cotton-expanding Deep South between 1810 and 1860.

How many enslaved people endured the 'Second Middle Passage'?

Approximately $1,000,000$ enslaved people.

What was 'stealing time'?

An everyday form of resistance where enslaved individuals reclaimed portions of their workday for personal rest, private work, or family, taking time back from their enslavers.

According to the lecture, approximately how many people escaped from slavery each year between 1820-1860?

Approximately $1,000$ people escaped from slavery each year.

What were the consequences of Nat Turner's Rebellion in 1831?

It created widespread white panic, resulting in retaliatory massacres, stricter black codes, severe legal restrictions on Black literacy and religious assemblies, and tighter restrictions on free Black people.

According to the lecture, how many 'free people of color' lived in the South in 1860?

Approximately $250,000$ free people of color lived in the South in 1860.

What was 'Passing for Free'?

The strategy used by escaped or self-liberated enslaved people of assuming the identity and demeanor of a free Black person to avoid detection and capture.

What was required for enslaved people to successfully 'pass for free'?

It required obtaining or forging freedom papers, possessing urban social knowledge, wearing suitable clothing, adopting free speech patterns, and avoiding recognition by former enslavers.

How did enslaved men show evidence that family was important to them?

By enduring severe punishment to travel to distant plantations, buying items for loved ones, protecting family members from violence, naming children after relatives, and attempting family escapes.

From his Autobiography, what does Frederick Douglass say his time with Covey did to him?

Douglass stated that Covey broke his body, soul, and intellect, crushing his natural elasticity and extinguishing his desire to read or learn.

What are the results of Douglass's choice to fight back against Covey?

Covey never laid a hand on him or whipped him again for the remainder of Douglass's six months there, restoring Douglass's self-respect.

What changes about Frederick Douglass's life and attitude due to resisting Covey?

It revived his sense of manhood, independence, and self-worth, rekindling a persistent determination to gain his freedom.

What does Harriet Jacobs say when reflecting on her actions in her narrative?

She expresses sorrow over her choices but urges readers not to judge an enslaved woman's moral choices using the standard standards applied to free women who enjoy freedom and protection.

What sorts of things does Dr. Flint say to Harriet Jacobs?

Dr. Flint subjects her to relentless verbal harassment, sexual threats, claims that she is his property without rights, and promises of unending punishment if she resists him.

How does Harriet Jacobs ask her audience to consider her position as an enslaved woman compared to their own situation?

She asks her Northern female readers to realize that enslaved women are denied legal protections, home security, and self-ownership, and to judge her conduct with sympathy rather than strict moral condemnation.