Portuguese
first to develop oceangoing vessels for long exploratory voyages called caravels
Portuguese in 1418-1470s
launched a series of exploratory expeditions and began to conquer African islands on the west coast (Cape Verde, Madeira, Sao Tome, Principe)
commercial treaties
due to lack of cannons and guns, West African rulers were weak, they then agreed to supply the Portuguese w Africans for European goods
first Africans in Americas
arrived in Americas with or shortly after Columbus by being "employed" as seamen on the voyages (landed in Haiti and DR)
Africans to Americas before 1620
300,000 Africans landed in the Americas
15th/16th century Africans w Americas
Africans were conquistadores, enslaved laborers, and free skilled workers/artisans
Ladinos
earliest Africans in the New World who were latinized Black ppl who lived most of their early lives in Spain n Portugal + colonies; spoke Spanish or Portuguese; no sympathy for indigenous ppl of Americas; Europeans liked them because they shared same language n perspective
Juan Garrido
traveled to the Americas to take part in the Spanish conquest, born in West Africa, later became agricultural innovator, served 30 yrs of service to Spanish crown, he invaded Cuba and Puerto Rico
scope of Transatlantic Slave Trade
lasted over 350 years (1400s-1800s), 12.5 million enslaved Africans were forcibly transported to Americas, 5% of those who survived came directly from Africa to US
Brazil and Caribbean
largest importers of enslaved Africans in the Americas
5 largest enslaving nations
Portugal, GB, France, Spain, Netherlands
major ports
Senegambia, Sierra Leone, Winward coast, Benin, Gold Coast, Angola, Congo
1600s-1700s
slave trade explodes> internal slave trade due to pitting against African leaders> capturing others > European slave trade settlements rarely sold their own ppl
Elmina castle
in Ghana, owned by Portuguese, turn it into a port system holding enslaved ppl in the dungeon until the next ship goes out
Charleston SC
48% of all Africans who landed in the US landed here; center of slave trade
Carolina set up
set up by Barbadian white planters as a port and plantation
differences in African ethnic groups
because of the different cultural practices, languages, and belief systems> diffused into AA communities (Wolof, Igbo, Yoruba, Akan)
Asiento system
Spain created trade agreements in which it authorized European merchants to ship enslaved Africans directly from Africa to the New World
traveling in chained groups
iron collars and chains, wooden yokes, forced to carry goods or food, would be whipped and dragged if not moving or was ill
Barracoons
bottom of castle, barracks, where enslaved were placed when they reached coastline
journey for the enslaved
fed only to keep alive, confined for several months, lack of clothing and no bathroom facilities, underground dungeons, barely above water, saltwater, completely dark, would sometimes be in temporary barracks
door of no return
door that exited their dungeons that opened up to the sea to board the ships, many Africans didn't know what was/or going to happen; gathered unhealthy Africans to combat resistance
middle passage
traveling to Americas was abt 50-90 days, children 15-21% in ships, loose packing, tight packing, men were shackled, women and children would be together, suicide + depression were common, disease was rampant, if they didn't participate
African resistance on ships
staged hunger strikes, attempted to jump overboard, overcame linguistic differences to form revolts /// these resistances made the slave trade more expensive and dangerous and led to change in design of ships
Amistad Trial
1839, Mende captives from Sierra Leone, led by Sengbe Pieh, led enslaved Africans in one of the largest revolts aboard a slave ship, they took over the ship and after 2 years were granted freedom from the Supreme Court
public auctions
put tar on enslaved to hide cuts/scars, they were inspected, highest bidder would make purchase, enslaved were branded, families were separated, enslaved were given European names
private auctions
similar to public auctions, they were indoors + red markers would be placed on the door to indicate an auction
scramble
took place on docks/decks of ships, fixed price per hand, slave owners would go in and grab who they wanted to purchase
destabilizing West African societies
African rulers, merchants, and middlemen profited from trade but majority of continent inhabitants did not; warfare between groups; constant raids; impacting population growth; slowly Europeans started to withdraw from slave trade and moved into Imperialism
1808
US govt banned the transatlantic slave trade leading to enslaved populations growing primarily through childbirth
lower south and cotton
SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, LA, TX dominated in the slave-cotton system due to creation of cotton gin
cotton gin
made it easier and faster to pick cotton and remove the flower from the seed
second middle passage
many enslaved people were forcibly moved to the lower south from the upper south to aid the cotton economy (2.5 more ppl than had arrived from Africa)
AA skills
blacksmithing, basket-weaving, cultivation of rice + indigo, etc
“group/gang” system
enslaved worked in groups from sunup to sundown; under watch of overseer; cultivated crops; created work songs (in english)
task system
enslaved ppl worked individually until they met a daily quota, less supervision, cultivation of crops like rice + indigo, less supervision, some enslaved ppl found autonomy to maintain linguistic practices
economic effects
slavery deeply entrenched wealth disparities along the US racial lines; enslaved had no wages, no legal right to accumulate property, depended on enslaver's decisions
3/5ths
a way to gain votes/people for electoral college, house of reps, delegates
fugitive slave law
if enslaved ppl fled, it was seen as a crime and were to be sent back to their former plantation
slave codes
transforming African captives into chattel slaves, colonists developed legal codes that established slavery
free states
enacted laws to deny free AA opportunities for advancement, barred entry of free AA, prohibited voting + testifying against white ppl
social construction
a theory that people develop knowledge of the world in a social context and that much of what we perceive as reality depends on shared assumptions (things that are seen as natural/normal)
race
shorthand term that is used to describe + categorize ppl into groups based on skin color, physical features, hair texture, n genetic heredity; social construct
status in society
diff levels from social construction; race, social class, gender, sexual orientation, etc; phenotypes contribute largely to perceptions of racial identity
hypodescent
the automatic assignment of children of mixed race to the subordinate group ("who is superior who is inferior")
Partus Sequitur Ventrum
1662 enacted law of hereditary slavery; the status of mother determined the status of the child, started in Virginia after Elizabeth Key sued or her freedom
names used
terms like Negro, Colored, African, and Afro American (pre 60s) switches into the term "Black" to describe AA (60s)
different names emerging
often ostracizing certain members of the overall community>>> led to topic of the question of the name of Black identities
1565 St. Augustine
oldest continuously occupied settlement of AA + European origin in the US; never developed large plantations, enslave population was small, military outpost
1693 St. Augustine
Spanish King Charles 2 had a royal proclamation to grant liberty to fugitive slaves if they converted to Catholicism, this enticed enslaved ppl to seek freedom which angered the British so they led military assaults
1738 St. Augustine
governor of Spanish Florida established a settlement under the leadership of Francisco Menendez (enslaved Senegambian), fighting against the English in the Yamasee War and finding refuge in St. Augustine
Fort Mose
first sanctioned free Black town in what is now the US in St. Augustine; in 1739 was captured + destroyed by GB
Salzburgers
protestant Germans, believed slavery would weaken close-knit sector through plantation system, alarmed by black uprising and the practicality of having enslaved people, didn't necessarily think it was morally wrong
causes of Stono rebellion
large plantations outnumbered white enslavers, cruelty of slavery, hot summers, Malaria epidemic, Fort Mose gave hope n freedom to those who converted to Catholicism
Stono rebellion
1739 SC. Jemmy, an enslaved man from the Angola region, led nearly 100 enslaved AA, setting fire to plantations and marching towards sanctuary in Spanish Florida
aftermath of Stono rebellion
British province of SC passed restrictive slave codes in 1740
SC Negro Act 1740
white ppl were free to kill whoever if a rebellion was active, Black enslaved ppl could not have trial, enslaved ppl couldn't travel beyond the bounds of plantation w out ticket/permission
Saint Domingue
18th century original name for Haiti
Haiti
France's wealthiest overseas colony, generated more revenue for France than all 13 North American colonies for GB; produced sugar, coffee, indigo, cotton by enslaved labor force; more enslaved ppl than white planters on the island
Causes of Haitian Revolution
influenced by French revolution 1789, new ideas such as human rights, universal citizenship, participation in government; white ppl on Saint Domingue support independence from France but they still supported institution of slavery
Haitian Revolution
1791-1804 overthrow of French regime; led by Toussaint l'Overture, by 1792 he controlled 1/3 of the island; France brought reinforcements but failed to settle revolution; 1801 they expanded revolution to DR; abolished slavery in Spanish-speaking colony and declared himself governor
1802 Haitian Revolution
L'Overture was captured and taken to France, leading France to get control of the island but Jean-Jacques Dessaline continued revolution and defeated the French in 1804
Maroon’s role in Haitian revolution
maroon’s disseminated info across disparate groups and organized attacks similar to guerrilla warfare; would hide in mountains, forests, and would later attack white-owned plantations
Louisiana purchase
to keep Saint Domingue from revolting France needed money; selling Louisiana territory funded French army to fight enslaved rebellions; sold to US instead of GB; fostered spread of slavery
Haitian Independence
January 1, 1804 and renamed to Haiti; first black republic in the world to win its independence from European power; they were forced to pay reparations to FR for 122 yrs in exchange for recognition from FR as a republic