AFAM Chpater 2 pt.1

Ladinos

The free and enslaved Africans familiar with Iberian (Spanish/Portuguese) culture & language who journeyed with Europeans in their earliest explorations of the Americas.

Atlantic creoles

People of African descent in 'New World' Latin America who played important roles as cultural mediators, liaisons, diplomats, missionaries, and interpreters.

Columbian Exchange

The global history altering exchange of goods, plants, animals, and people from Afro-Eurasia to the Americas and vice versa, initiated by Columbus's arrival in 1492.

Chattel Slavery

A system of slavery where individuals are treated as personal property to be bought and sold.

Social Mobility

The ability of individuals or groups to move within a social hierarchy, which was experienced by the first Africans in the Americas before the predominance of chattel slavery.

Spanish colonization

The process by which Spain established control over territories in the Americas, significantly involving the participation of Africans.

Indigenous lands

Territories originally inhabited by Indigenous peoples, which were claimed by European powers during colonization.

La Florida

The name given by Spain to an area that included Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia, where Africans participated in colonization efforts.

European and West African interactions

The growing trade and cultural exchanges between West African kingdoms and European powers, particularly Portugal, in the late 1400s.

Slave trading

The practice through which African kingdoms increased their wealth and power by selling enslaved individuals to European traders.

Diplomatic roles

Positions held by African elites, including ambassadors and children of rulers, who traveled to Mediterranean port cities for various purposes.

Cultural mediators

Individuals who facilitated communication and understanding between different cultures, a role played by Atlantic creoles.

Cross-Atlantic trade system

The trade network established between Europe and the Americas, which was supported by the involvement of Atlantic creoles.

Infectious diseases

Illnesses that decimated approximately 90% of the indigenous population of the Americas, introduced through the Columbian Exchange.

Free and enslaved Africans

Individuals of African descent who lived in European port cities, contributing to various roles in society.

Spanish explorers

European adventurers who claimed territories in the Americas, often accompanied by enslaved and free Africans.

Sub-Saharan Africans

Africans living south of the Sahara Desert, whose presence grew in Portuguese and Spanish port cities during the late 1400s.

Domestic labor

Work performed by individuals, including Africans, in households, often involving tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and childcare.

Boatmen

Individuals who operated boats, a role held by some Africans in European port cities.

Guards

Individuals responsible for security, a role that some Africans took on in European cities.

Entertainers

Individuals who provided entertainment, a role that included some Africans in European societies.

Vendors

Individuals who sold goods, a role that was also filled by Africans in European port cities.

Knights

Noble warriors, some of whom were of African descent, who served in various capacities in European societies.

Conquistadores

Africans who participated in the work of conquest in hopes of gaining their freedom.

Enslaved laborers

Africans who worked largely in mining and agriculture to produce profit for Europeans.

Free skilled workers and artisans

Africans who were not enslaved and worked as skilled laborers in various trades.

Juan Garrido

A conquistador born in the Kingdom of Kongo, the first known African to arrive in North America in 1513.

Estevanico

An enslaved African healer from Morocco who worked as an explorer and translator in Texas in 1528.

Transatlantic slave trade

The forced transportation of more than 12.5 million enslaved Africans to the Americas over 350 years.

Geographic scope of the transatlantic slave trade

Forty-eight percent of Africans brought to the U.S. landed in Charleston, S.C.

Top enslaving nations

Portugal, Great Britain, France, Spain, and the Netherlands were the leading countries involved in the transatlantic slave trade.

Scale of the transatlantic slave trade

Before the 19th century, more people arrived in the Americas from Africa than from any other region.

Survivors of the journey

Of the enslaved Africans transported, only about 5% (approximately 388,000) came directly to the U.S.

Letter: Juan Garrido's petition, 1538

A historical document related to Juan Garrido's experiences and status.

Domestic slavery

A historical form of slavery where enslaved individuals were absorbed into the captor's culture and could gain freedom after a set time.

Indigenous groups

Native populations that resisted Spanish colonialism and were involved in the death of Estevanico.

Portuguese human trafficking

The practice initiated by the Portuguese in the 1450s, leading to the emergence of a new system of slavery.

Sugar plantations

Locations where enslaved West Africans were forced to work, particularly on small Atlantic islands.

Emergence of a new system of slavery

A system that began to take shape in the 1600s, characterized by the classification of enslaved individuals as property.

Senegambia and Angola

Locations from which nearly half of the enslaved Africans transported to mainland North America originated.

Middle Passage

The second part of the journey for enslaved Africans, lasting up to three months across the Atlantic Ocean, characterized by severe conditions.

Captive Africans

Individuals who were forcibly taken from their communities and subjected to the slave trade.

Cultural contributions

The diverse cultural practices, languages, and belief systems brought by enslaved Africans to the U.S.

African ethnic groups

Various groups such as the Wolof, Akan, Igbo, and Yoruba from which early generations of African Americans descended.

Final passage

The third part of the journey where enslaved individuals were quarantined, resold, and transported domestically.

Violence and enslavement

The increased monetary incentives that led to the use of violence to capture individuals from neighboring societies.

Coastal states

Regions that became wealthy from the trade of goods and enslaved people during the slave trade.

Interior states

Regions that became unstable due to the constant threat of capture and enslavement.

Slave narratives

Literary accounts written by formerly enslaved Africans detailing their experiences.

15% mortality rate

The percentage of captive Africans who perished during the Middle Passage.

Cultural practices

The various African-based traditions that emerged within African American communities due to diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Quarantine process

The procedure that enslaved individuals underwent upon arrival at ports in the Americas before being sold.

Long-term instability

The enduring disruption and loss of leadership roles in African societies caused by the slave trade.

Narratives of formerly enslaved Africans

Genres such as poetry and personal accounts that reflect the experiences of those who were enslaved.

Widespread disease and malnourishment

Conditions faced by enslaved Africans aboard slave ships during the Middle Passage.

Distinctive Black communities

Diverse groups formed in the American South due to the distribution of various African ethnic groups.

Muslim or Christian regions

Areas in Africa from which nearly half of the enslaved individuals who arrived in the U.S. originated.

Crowded, unsanitary dungeons

Conditions faced by captured Africans waiting on the Atlantic coast before being shipped.

Concentration of former African soldiers

A phenomenon in the Americas that contributed to the ability of enslaved communities to revolt.

Cultural combinations

The result of interactions among various African ethnic groups leading to unique cultural expressions in the U.S.

Key features of slave narratives

Elements that include personal experiences and reflections on the conditions of slavery.

Political texts

Slave narratives aimed to end slavery and the slave trade, demonstrate Black humanity, and advocate for the inclusion of people of African descent in American society.

Monetary incentives

Financial motivations that may influence behavior or decisions.

Coastal states vs. interior states

A comparison between states located along the coast and those situated inland, particularly in the context of slavery.

War captives

Individuals taken as prisoners during conflicts, often subjected to enslavement.

Unsanitary dungeons

Filthy and unhealthy confinement spaces used to hold enslaved individuals.

Fifteen % perished

A statistic indicating that 15% of enslaved individuals died during the Middle Passage.

Deracination

The trauma of being uprooted from one's social, cultural, or geographic environment.

Commodification

The treatment of individuals as items or things for sale, rather than as human beings.

Hunger strikes

A form of resistance where individuals refuse to eat to protest against their conditions.

Linguistic differences

Variations in language that enslaved captives had to overcome to work collectively.

Slave trade

The business of buying and selling enslaved people, which became more expensive and dangerous due to resistance.

Sengbe Pieh (Joseph Cinqué)

A Mende captive who led a famous revolt aboard the slave ship La Amistad in 1839.

La Amistad

The schooner taken over by enslaved Africans during a revolt, leading to a significant trial for their freedom.

Slave ship diagrams

Illustrations that depicted the arrangement of captives to maximize profit during the slave trade.

Dehumanizing conditions

The brutal and inhumane environments experienced by enslaved individuals during the Middle Passage.

Abolitionists

Individuals who advocated for the end of slavery and used various methods to raise awareness.

Black artists

Creatives who repurposed the iconography of the slave ship to honor the memory of their ancestors.

Historical trauma

The collective emotional and psychological harm experienced by a group due to past injustices.

12.5 million Africans

The estimated number of Africans who were forcibly taken during the transatlantic slave trade.

36,000 known voyages

The total number of documented journeys made by slave ships over a span of more than 350 years.

raise awareness

To increase public knowledge or concern about a particular issue.

Supreme Court Case: United States v. The Amistad

A landmark case regarding the rights of enslaved Africans aboard the La Amistad.

repurposed the iconography

To adapt or reinterpret symbols or images for a new use or meaning.

36,000 known voyage

Refers to the documented voyages of slave ships.

90 day journey

Refers to the duration of the Middle Passage for enslaved Africans.

force-feed

To provide food to someone against their will, often used in the context of hunger strikes.

Courtroom Plea

A formal statement from the defendant in a legal case.

Courtroom Sketches

Artistic representations of the captive survivors from the Amistad trial.

visual archive of commodification

A collection of images that document the transformation of individuals into commodities.

global diaspora

The spread of communities of African descent around the world.

Stowage by Willie Cole

A contemporary artwork symbolizing the history of Africans brought through the Middle Passage.

cash crops

Crops produced for commercial value rather than for use by the grower.

white supremacy doctrine

A belief system that promotes the superiority of white people over other racial groups.

Second Middle Passage

The forced migration of enslaved African Americans within the United States.

domestic slave trade

The trade of enslaved people within a country, particularly in the U.S.

cotton gin

A machine that quickly separates cotton fibers from seeds, increasing production.

largest forced migration in American history

Refers to the displacement of over one million African Americans during the cotton boom.

Indigenous communities

Native populations that were displaced due to the expansion of cotton production.

Trail of Tears

The forced removal of Cherokee, Muscogee, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw people between 1830 and 1838.