Social Movements, Slavery Control, and Civil Rights History

What are social movements?

A series of contentious performances, displays, and campaigns in which ordinary people make collective claims on others.

What are the three elements of all social movements?

Campaigns, repertoire, and WUNC displays (worthiness, unity, numbers, commitments).

What does 'repertoire' refer to in social movements?

The use of combinations of forms of political action, such as public meetings, rallies, and petition drives.

What is the Geography of Containment?

The control of slave movement in both space and time through measures like curfews, patrols, and laws.

How did slave owners control the movement of enslaved people?

By implementing morning reveilles, curfews, roll calls, and requiring passes for independent travel.

What were 'truants' in the context of slavery?

Outlying runaways who were pursued by legislation created to capture and punish them.

How did gender affect the experiences of enslaved individuals?

Women were bound in greater numbers, confined more than men, and had less mobility, often working longer hours.

What were some everyday forms of resistance among enslaved people?

Foot-dragging, feigning illness, short-term flight, and creating spaces for family time.

What distinguishes 'truants' from 'fugitives'?

Truants are short-term runaways, while fugitives are permanent escapees.

What role did the home play in the lives of enslaved women?

It served as a site for both domination and resistance, where they could teach children and hide abolitionist materials.

What were the risks associated with running away from slavery?

Risks included punishment, separation from family, and dangers such as patrols and harsh environmental conditions.

What was the price of resistance for enslaved individuals?

Punishments could include whipping or death, but some resisted despite knowing the risks.

How did free blacks and fugitives contribute to the abolition movement?

They spoke out against slavery, founded independent organizations, and participated in the underground railroad.

What does the 'Politics of the Body' refer to in the context of enslaved people?

The three bodies they possessed: the site of domination, the site of subjective experience, and the site of pleasure and resistance.

What was the significance of the ⅗ Clause in the Constitution?

It allowed for the enslaved population to count as ⅗ of a person for representation purposes.

What does the Fugitive Slave Law entail?

It mandated that any enslaved person escaping to another state must be returned to their original state.

What were the 'watershed moments' in the abolition movement?

Key events in the 1850s that crystallized support for the civil war and made the invisible social movement visible.

What were the dual uses of space for enslaved individuals?

Spaces like cabins and kitchens were used for both work and as places for resistance, such as hiding fugitives.

Why might enslaved individuals choose not to run away?

Fear of punishment, separation from family, and lack of knowledge about the land and escape routes.

How did enslaved women experience resistance differently from men?

Women often had to care for children and were less likely to know the geography, leading to different patterns of resistance.

What role did community play in helping runaways?

A sense of solidarity and community motivated individuals to help runners despite the risks involved.

What was the impact of public displays of resistance?

They built community and solidarity among oppressed people, leading to more organized movements.

What was the significance of Richard Allen's church and the North Star newspaper?

They were examples of independent voices and organizations that spoke out against slavery and advocated for rights.

What forms of punishment were used to control enslaved people?

Punishments included whipping, branding, and threats of separation from family.

How did enslaved individuals accommodate slavery while resisting its values?

They found ways to express their identity and agency, such as through dress and participation in social events.

What did Article 1 Section 9 of the Constitution state regarding the slave trade?

Congress cannot prohibit the slave trade before 1808, but a tax or duty can be imposed on such importation.

What was the purpose of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787?

It provided a government for the Northwest Territory, a method for adding states to the union, and prohibited slavery in the new territory.

What did the Naturalization Act of 1790 limit?

It limited citizenship to free whites and allowed any free white alien to be admitted as a citizen of the US.

What was the significance of the Missouri Compromise of 1820?

Missouri was admitted as a slave state and Maine as a free state, banning slavery above the 36°30' line.

What were the key outcomes of the Compromise of 1850?

California was admitted as a free state, fugitive slave laws were strengthened, and Utah and New Mexico decided slavery by popular sovereignty.

What was the Dred Scott Decision?

The Supreme Court ruled that free black people were not citizens and had no standing in federal court, invalidating the ban on slavery in the Compromise of 1820 and the Compromise of 1850.

What was the impact of the Dred Scott Decision?

It polarized the North and South over slavery, strengthened abolitionists, and contributed to the Civil War.

What did the 13th Amendment accomplish?

It abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the US, except as punishment for a crime.

What rights did the 14th Amendment guarantee?

It granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the US and ensured due process and equal protection under the law.

What was established by the 15th Amendment?

It prohibited the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

What was the purpose of the Reconstruction Constitutions?

They were written to establish public schools, hospitals, and services, and to modernize the South after the Civil War.

Who was David Walker and what did he advocate?

An active abolitionist who wrote 'David Walker's Appeal,' calling for racial equality and condemning slavery.

What was Frederick Douglass known for?

He was a fugitive slave, abolitionist, and orator who published 'The North Star' and gave the famous speech 'What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?'

What was the outcome of Nat Turner's Revolt?

Nat Turner led a rebellion that killed around 60 people, resulting in harsher slave laws and increased repression.

What did John Brown do at Harpers Ferry?

He led a revolt at a federal armory, aiming to incite a slave uprising, which resulted in the deaths of 16 people.

Who was Richard Allen?

He founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the first independent black denomination in the US.

What was Henry Highland Garnet's significant action?

He led a convention in 1843 urging blacks to rebel and use violence to end slavery.

What did Sojourner Truth advocate for?

She was a powerful advocate for both women's rights and the abolition of slavery.

What was Booker T. Washington's Atlanta Compromise?

He proposed that blacks should focus on industrial education and economic self-reliance while accepting segregation.

What was W.E.B. Du Bois's contribution to civil rights?

He was a co-founder of the NAACP and led the Niagara Movement, advocating for civil rights and opposing accommodationist strategies.

What was the Black Exodus Movement?

A migration of black people from the South to Kansas and the West between 1877-1879, seeking freedom and land.

What was the Nadir in the context of African American history?

The low point for blacks after Reconstruction, marked by severe segregation and racism.

What did the Klan Act of 1871 aim to address?

It aimed to make racial terrorism illegal, although it did not stop such acts.