Slavery Shit

Triangular Trade

The historical trade route that involved the exchange of enslaved people, goods, and raw materials between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

Middle Passage

The sea journey undertaken by slave ships from West Africa to the Americas, characterized by horrific conditions for enslaved Africans.

Slave Trade Act of 1807

British law that made it illegal to engage in the slave trade within the British Empire, marking a significant step toward the abolition of slavery.

Olaudah Equiano

An African man who published an autobiography detailing his experiences as a slave and became a prominent abolitionist.

Toussaint L'Ouverture

Leader of the Haitian Revolution who became a symbol of resistance against slavery and colonialism.

Abolitionism

The movement aimed at ending the practice of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.

Barracoons

Markets along the interior slave routes where enslaved individuals were sold before being transported to the coast.

Royal African Company

A British trading company heavily involved in the transportation of enslaved Africans to the Americas.

The Amistad Revolt

A famous mutiny in which enslaved Africans took control of the Spanish slave ship La Amistad and attempted to sail back to Africa.

Coton Gin

A machine invented by Eli Whitney in 1793, which increased the efficiency of cotton production and heightened the demand for slave labor.

Slave Rebellion

An organized uprising by enslaved people against their enslavers, often seeking freedom and autonomy.

Consumerism

An increased demand for goods, many originally considered luxuries, impacting trade and economies.

Indentured Servants

Individuals who worked for a fixed term of years in exchange for passage to the Americas and were often freed after their contract ended.

Haitian Revolution

The successful slave revolt that led to the independence of Haiti and the first abolition of slavery in the Americas.

John Hawkins

An early English slave trader credited with pioneering the transatlantic slave trade.

Racial Hierarchies

Societal structures that categorize individuals based on race, often privileging white individuals over others.

Dehumanization

The process of degrading individuals, stripping them of humanity and rights, often used to justify slavery.

Economic Expediency

The pursuit of profits and economic efficiency that contributed to the establishment and expansion of slavery.

Royal African Company

A British company that played a significant role in the transatlantic slave trade promoting the export of enslaved people.

Plantation Economy

An agricultural system where crops are grown for commercial purposes using the labor of enslaved individuals.

Resistance

The action of opposing or standing against oppression, including actions by enslaved individuals against their captors.

African Diaspora

The mass dispersion of Africans during the Transatlantic Slave Trade, resulting in numerous communities across the Americas.

The Zong Massacre

The horrific event in which enslaved Africans were thrown overboard from a British slave ship due to fears of disease and loss of resources.

Slave Codes

Laws in the southern United States establishing the status of enslaved Africans and the rights of owners.

Economic Isolation

The condition following Haiti's independence where international recognition was denied, impacting its economy.

Jean-Jacques Dessalines

A military leader in the Haitian Revolution who declared Haiti's independence and became its first ruler.

Slave Narratives

Firsthand accounts of the lives of enslaved people, often published to raise awareness and support abolitionism.

Freedmen

Individuals who were formerly enslaved and gained their freedom, often facing significant social and economic challenges.

Cotton Kingdom

The term describing the Southern U.S. states where cotton was the dominant cash crop, heavily reliant on slave labor.

Plantation Owners

Wealthy individuals who owned large agricultural estates that utilized enslaved labor for crop production.

Underground Railroad

A secret network of routes and safe houses used by enslaved people to escape to free states and Canada.

Emancipation Proclamation

An executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 declaring the freedom of all enslaved people in Confederate states.

Black Codes

Laws enacted in the post-Civil War South to restrict the rights and freedoms of African Americans.

Abolitionist Movement

A campaign to end slavery and improve the rights of formerly enslaved people, driven by both Black and white activists.

Garrisonian Abolitionism

The philosophy of William Lloyd Garrison, emphasizing immediate emancipation without compensation to slave owners.

Reconstruction Act

Laws passed in the post-Civil War era aimed at rebuilding the South and integrating formerly enslaved individuals into society.

Transatlantic Slave Trade

The forced movement of millions of enslaved Africans to the Americas, primarily for labor in agriculture.

Chattel Slavery

A form of slavery where enslaved individuals are considered property that can be bought and sold.

Maroon Communities

Settlements established by escaped enslaved people in remote areas, often resisting colonial powers.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

1854 legislation that allowed new territories to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty, escalating tensions.

Nat Turner's Rebellion

A violent slave uprising led by Nat Turner in 1831 in Virginia, which resulted in the deaths of many enslaved people and white citizens.

Dred Scott Decision

An 1857 Supreme Court ruling that stated enslaved individuals were not citizens and had no standing to sue.

Freedman's Bureau

A federal agency created after the Civil War to assist freed slaves by providing education, housing, and employment.

Compromise of 1850

A package of laws aiming to resolve the territorial and slavery issues arising from the Mexican-American War.

Seward's Folly

The purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, viewed by some as an impractical expansion, but later proving valuable.

Underground Railroad Movement

A network that facilitated the escape of enslaved individuals to free states or Canada, often at great personal risk.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

Legislation granting citizenship and equal rights to all persons born in the U.S., including formerly enslaved people.

Slave Trade

The commercial activity of buying and selling enslaved people, primarily between Africa, Europe, and the Americas.

Manumission

The legal act of freeing an enslaved person by their owner.

Coffles

Groups of enslaved people chained together for transport to markets or plantations.

Slave Auction

A public sale in which enslaved individuals were sold to the highest bidder, often separated from families.

Fugitive Slave Act

Laws that mandated the capture and return of runaway enslaved individuals to their owners.

Spirituals

Religious folk songs sung by enslaved people that often contained coded messages about escape.

Grimké Sisters

Sarah and Angelina Grimké, early American women abolitionists who advocated for the rights of women and the end of slavery.

Liberator

A prominent abolitionist newspaper founded by William Lloyd Garrison, advocating for immediate emancipation.

Compromise of 1850

Legislation that attempted to address the balance of power between free and slave states in the U.S.

Civil War

A conflict from 1861-1865, primarily over issues including slavery, that led to the abolition of slavery in the U.S.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

1864 legislation allowing the residents of Kansas and Nebraska to decide on the legality of slavery through popular sovereignty.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

An influential novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that depicted the harsh realities of slavery and galvanized the abolitionist movement.

Thirteenth Amendment

The constitutional amendment adopted in 1865 that abolished slavery in the United States.

Harriet Tubman

An escaped enslaved person who became a leading abolitionist and conductor on the Underground Railroad.

Sharecropping

A system where freedmen and poor white farmers worked land owned by others in exchange for a share of the crops.

Plessy v. Ferguson

An 1896 Supreme Court case that upheld state laws requiring racial segregation under the

African American Culture

The cultural contributions of African Americans, encompassing art, music, literature, and traditions that emerged from the experiences of slavery and discrimination.

Cotton Economy

An economic system where cotton plantations served as the backbone of wealth and trade, heavily reliant on enslaved labor.

Slave Quarters

Living arrangements provided for enslaved people, often overcrowded and lacking basic amenities.

Recaptivity

The re-enslavement of formerly enslaved people, often through legal loopholes or capture.

Secession

The act of withdrawing formally from an organization or political entity, notably the Southern states' withdrawal from the Union before the Civil War.

Freedom Suits

Legal cases filed by enslaved individuals seeking their freedom, often based on wrongful enslavement or promises of freedom.

Racism

The belief that different races possess distinct characteristics, leading to discrimination and prejudice, particularly against African Americans.

Cultural Resilience

The ability of individuals or communities to maintain their cultural identity even under oppressive conditions.

Abolitionist Literature

Written works that advocated for the end of slavery and highlighted the injustices faced by enslaved individuals.

Post-Emancipation Challenges

The various social, economic, and political difficulties faced by formerly enslaved people after the abolition of slavery.