EMPOWERING HISTORIES Unit 2: Freedom, Slavery, and Resistance 1503 to 1865

A set of flashcards derived from lecture notes covering key concepts about freedom, slavery, and resistance from 1503 to 1865.

What roles did ladinos play as the first Africans to arrive in the United States?

Ladinos were free and enslaved Africans familiar with Iberian culture and language who journeyed with Europeans, serving as cultural mediators, liaisons, diplomats, and interpreters.

What was the Columbian Exchange?

The global exchange of goods, plants, animals, and people between Afro-Eurasia and the Americas initiated by Columbus' accidental discovery of the Americas.

What were the major roles Africans played during the 16th century colonization of the Americas?

Africans served as conquistadores, enslaved laborers, and free skilled workers and artisans.

Who was Juan Garrido and what was his significance?

Juan Garrido was the first known African to arrive in North America, exploring Florida in 1513 as a free man.

What is chattel slavery?

A system where enslaved people and their descendants are classified as property and considered enslaved for life, and it was the most dehumanizing form of slavery.

What was the scale of the transatlantic slave trade?

Over 350 years, more than 12.5 million enslaved Africans were transported to the Americas, with only about 5% going directly to what became the United States.

What was the geographic scope of the transatlantic slave trade?

Forty-eight percent of Africans brought to the U.S. came through Charleston, S.C., the center of U.S. slave trading.

What impact did the Haitian Revolution have on the Americas?

The Haitian Revolution led to the overthrow of colonial slavery in Haiti, influencing abolition movements and changes in economic power in the Caribbean.

What were the features of slave ship diagrams?

Slave ship diagrams depict crowded and unsanitary conditions, outlining the systematic arrangement of captives aimed at maximizing profit.

How did abolitionists use slave ship diagrams?

Abolitionists circulated slave ship diagrams to reveal the dehumanizing conditions of the Middle Passage and raise awareness about the realities of slavery.

What role did the Underground Railroad play in the fight for freedom?

It was a covert network that provided transportation and support for enslaved people seeking to escape to free territories.

What were the Fugitive Slave Acts?

Laws that allowed for the capture and return of escaped enslaved people, intensifying the conflict between the North and South.

How did enslaved people resist commodification aboard slave ships?

They protested through hunger strikes, attempted to jump overboard, and collaborated across language barriers to form revolts.

What was the impact of the Civil War on African American communities?

Many African Americans contributed to the war effort but faced violence and discrimination, emphasizing their complex role in U.S. society.

Who was Harriet Tubman and what did she accomplish?

Harriet Tubman was a conductor of the Underground Railroad, leading enslaved people to freedom and serving as a spy for the Union during the Civil War.

What was the significance of Juneteenth?

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when enslaved people in Texas were informed of their freedom, marking the end of slavery in the last Confederate state.

What was the nature of slave narratives written by formerly enslaved people?

They served as historical accounts and political texts aimed at ending slavery and demonstrating the humanity of enslaved individuals.

How did partus sequitur ventrem affect enslaved families?

It established that the legal status of a child followed that of the mother, ensuring the perpetuation of slavery across generations.

What were the key characteristics of maroon societies?

Maroon communities consisted of self-emancipated individuals who formed autonomous spaces preserving African cultural practices.