12.4 - African American History Since 1877

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, concepts, and sources related to slavery's impact on Black families, genealogy, and post-emancipation research.

Slavery

A system where people are treated as property and forced into labor, often tearing families apart and controlling every aspect of life.

Emancipation

The legal freeing of enslaved people, enabling legal freedom and opportunities to reunite families.

Family reunification after emancipation

Efforts to reconnect and restore family links that were broken during slavery.

Kin networks

Support systems within Black communities that help families survive and thrive through extended family and community ties.

Fictitious kin networks

Socially constructed family roles (e.g., aunt/uncle) used to sustain kinship when biological ties were disrupted.

Scholarly debate on African American families

Ongoing discussion about whether slavery produced weak, fatherless families or whether families adapted creatively to preserve ties.

40 acres and a mule

A promised post-emancipation allocation of land and resources to freedpeople, largely unfulfilled.

Freedmen's Bureau

A U.S. government agency established after the Civil War to aid freed slaves with marriages, labor contracts, school records, and rations.

U.S. Colored Troops

Black soldiers who served in the U.S. military; their service records aid genealogical research.

Slave schedules

1850–1860 census records that listed age, sex, and color for enslaved people, but rarely included names.

1790–1840 records (slaves not named)

Early records where enslaved persons were usually unnamed; free Blacks were named within households.

1870 Census (named African Americans)

First federal census to list African Americans by name, aiding tracing of lineage.

Surnames (adoption by freed slaves)

Some freed slaves changed or adopted surnames to shed slavery; about 15% adopted former owners’ surnames.

Naming patterns

Patterns in given names that provide clues to origins and connections in genealogy.

Given names, ages, and relationships

Vital clues used in genealogy to establish family connections and lineages.

Deeds and property

Enslaved people were treated as property; real estate records reveal owners and family groupings.

Marriage records

Documents listing brides, grooms, parents, births, residences, and places of marriage used for tracing families.

Land ownership by freed slaves

By 1900, about 25% of Black farmers owned land, illustrating gradual economic progress.

Disruption of family attachments

Slavery caused breakdowns in marriages and parent-child relationships; patterns such as 1 in 3 marriages broken and 1 in 5 children taken from parents.

Trauma of Slavery

A systematic abuse that destroyed family ties and caused long-lasting intergenerational effects.

Black resilience

Communities building thriving networks and economies despite oppression and lack of government support.

More Than a Fraction Foundation

An organization studying the enduring impact of enslavement and racism, including descendant reconciliation and healing.

Abram Smith

A Virginia figure whose family history and legacy are discussed in the notes (e.g., in relation to post-slavery memory and narratives).