African Diaspora 1

Modern African Diaspora

The dispersion of Africans and their descendants across the globe, especially through forced migration during the transatlantic slave trade.

Affranchis

Enslaved Africans who were granted freedom in French colonies but often faced social and legal limitations.

Gens de Couleur

A French term meaning 'people of color' used to describe free individuals of mixed African and European ancestry, subject to racial discrimination.

Jamaica

A Caribbean island that became a major center for sugar plantations and the transatlantic slave trade.

Code Noir

A 1685 French decree regulating the treatment, rights, and obligations of enslaved Africans in French colonies.

Madeira

A Portuguese island that played an early role in plantation agriculture and slave economy models.

Sao Tome and Principe

Two islands off the coast of Central Africa that became important centers for early Portuguese slave trading.

Jamestown, 1619

The site in Virginia where the first recorded Africans arrived in English North America.

Slavery in Colonial Virginia

A system in which enslaved Africans were legally defined as property, characterized by racial hierarchies.

Differences between Slavery in Africa and the Americas

In Africa, slavery allowed for social mobility; in the Americas, it was a racially-based, brutal, hereditary system.

What Caused the Rise of African Slavery in the Americas?

Factors included the decline of Native American populations, labor demands for plantations, and emerging racial ideologies.

Why Native Americans Were Not the Main Labor Source in the Americas

Their population declined rapidly due to disease, making them less available for plantation labor.

Why Africans Were the Main Labor Source in the Americas

Africans were seen as more disease-resistant and had agricultural experience, making them preferred for slavery.

Triangular Slave Trade

A trade network linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas, involving the exchange of goods for enslaved Africans.

Middle Passage

The brutal transatlantic journey during which enslaved Africans were transported to the Americas.

Distribution of Enslaved Blacks in the Americas

The uneven allocation of enslaved Africans throughout the Americas, often concentrated in cash crop areas.

Slavery in the Caribbean and South America

Systems characterized by brutality, high mortality rates, and large-scale plantation agriculture.

African Cultural Retention

The preservation of African cultural traditions and practices despite forced assimilation in the Americas.

Creole Slaves and Saltwater Slaves

Creole slaves were born in the Americas; saltwater slaves were directly transported from Africa.

Four Forms of Resistance

1. Overt Revolts; 2) Everyday Defiance; 3) Escape; 4) Cultural Resistance.

Three Eras of Slavery in the United States

1. Early/Colonial Era; 2) Antebellum Era; 3) Post-Emancipation/Jim Crow Era.

Spirit Mediumship – 'Horse of the God'

A practice in Afro-diasporic religions where a medium serves as a conduit for a deity or spirit.

Divination

The practice of seeking insight from supernatural forces through rituals or spiritual communication.

Candomblé

An Afro-Brazilian religion blending West African traditions with Catholicism, focusing on orishas.

Santeria

An Afro-Caribbean religion combining Yoruba practices with Catholicism, involving rituals and drumming.

Voodoo (Vodou)

A syncretic religion in Haiti that combines African spiritual traditions with Catholic elements.

Antebellum Era

The period before the Civil War characterized by the entrenchment of slavery and the cotton economy.

Cotton

A key cash crop in the Southern United States that accelerated the expansion of slavery.