AP African American Studies Unit 2

Stono Rebellion

Occurring on September 9, 1739, in South Carolina, where about 20 enslaved Angolans led by a man named Jemmy marched south, seizing weapons and killing white colonists, seeking freedom in Spanish Florida before being suppressed by the militia, resulting in harsher slave laws (like the Slave Code of 1740) and heightened fear among slaveholders. 

Slave Code of 1740

Declared all enslaved Africans and their descendants as absolute property (chattel), removing any legal status or rights.

Fort Mose

Established in 1738; was the 1st legally sanctioned free African community

St Augustine

oldest continuous settlement of African Americans

Haitian Revolution

Declared all enslaved Africans and their descendants as absolute property (chattel), removing any legal status or rights. The revolution terrified slaveholders in the U.S. (like during the Denmark Vesey plot) but inspired enslaved people, influencing actions like the 1841 Creole Mutiny.

Touissaint L’Ouverture

the brilliant leader of the Haitian Revolution, a former slave who became a general, defeating French, Spanish, and British forces to secure freedom and abolish slavery, establishing Haiti as the first free Black republic and a beacon against colonialism and racial hierarchy, inspiring freedom struggles worldwide.

Madison Washington

symbol of Black resistance, a cook known for leading the 1841 Creole Mutiny, where enslaved people seized a ship and gained freedom in British territory

Examples of slave resistance

daily subtle acts like working slowly, feigning illness, or breaking tools, to major armed revolts (Stono, Nat Turner), escape attempts via the Underground Railroad, and preserving culture (music, religion, storytelling) to maintain identity, all challenging the dehumanizing system of slavery.  

Black women activism

used speeches, writings, and organizational efforts to challenge injustice, often demanding inclusion within broader movements that marginalized them.

Harriet tubman

used speeches, writings, and organizational efforts to challenge injustice, often demanding inclusion within broader movements that marginalized them.

Maria Stewart

the first American woman to speak publicly on political matters, delivering powerful speeches on abolition, women's rights, and racial equality, breaking barriers for women in public discourse.

Harriet Jacobs

the first published autobiography by an African American woman, which exposed the unique horrors of slavery for women, especially sexual abuse, and challenged the racist myth of the happy slave

Maroons

escaped enslaved Africans who formed independent, self-governing communities in remote areas (like mountains, swamps) across the Americas,

Great Dismal Swamp

significant history as a refuge for self-emancipated enslaved people (Maroons) and Indigenous groups

Capoeira

a vibrant Afro-Brazilian martial art that blends dance, acrobatics, music, and spirituality,

Congada

vibrant, syncretic Afro-Brazilian folk tradition blending Catholic and African beliefs, celebrated with processions, music, and dance, often honoring Our Lady of the Rosary

Manumission

takes place when masters free their slaves voluntarily

Slavery and the Indigenous community

In the 19th century, a number of Native American nations, particularly the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole (often called the "Five Civilized Tribes"), adopted the white Southern economic model, including the practice of chattel slavery of African people. 

Anti-emigrationists

people or groups who oppose the departure of a population from their homeland, often arguing for staying to build, improve, or fight for rights within their own country

Moral suasion

is influencing behavior by appealing to ethics, conscience, or social responsibility, rather than using force or law,

Drapetomania

fake, pseudoscientific mental illness invented in 1851 by Dr. Samuel A. Cartwright to pathologize the desire of enslaved Black people to escape bondage, framing rebellion as a disease of the mind

American Colonization Society

a controversial organization that aimed to send free Black Americans to Africa, establishing the colony of Liberia, a project supported by both slaveholders (to remove free Black people) and some anti-slavery advocates

Black Nationalism

a movement advocating for Black people's distinct cultural, economic, and political self-determination, emphasizing racial pride, unity, and self-reliance, often through separate institutions, to counter systemic racism and achieve liberation,

Dred Scott

landmark Supreme Court ruling that stated African Americans, enslaved or free, were not citizens and couldn't sue in federal court; it also declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, meaning Congress couldn't ban slavery in U.S. territories

Roger B. Taney

Supreme Court justice that ruled that African Americans were not and could not be citizens.

Frederick Douglass

transformation from an enslaved person to America's foremost abolitionist, orator, writer, and reformer, becoming the conscience of the nation by using his powerful voice through his autobiography and pen to demand freedom, equal rights, and justice, profoundly influencing the Civil War's direction

Martin Delany

his pioneering role as the "father of Black Nationalism," advocating for Black self-determination, independence, and emigration from the U.S., a radical departure from mainstream abolitionism

Paul Cuffee

a sea captain, entrepreneur, and early champion of emigrationism. He is often recognized as the first person to organize the relocation of African Americans from the United States to Africa

Jefferson and his notes on the state of virginia

A central, controversial topic; Jefferson condemns slavery's moral corruption but argues for Black inferiority in intellect and emotion, expressing concerns about co-existence, leading to his conflicted stance on emancipation and racial separation.

Henry Highland Garnet

urging enslaved people to resist, becoming the first Black person to address the U.S. House of Representatives (1865), co-founding abolitionist groups, advocating for Black citizenship,

The Underground Railroad

a secret, decentralized network of abolitionists, free Black people, and allies in the U.S. and Canada from the late 18th century until the Civil War, helping enslaved people escape to freedom using coded language, secret routes, and safe houses (stations) to avoid slave catchers. It wasn't a real train but used railroad terms (conductors, passengers, stations) for its operations, relying on immense courage from "freedom seekers" and risk-takers, with destinations often reaching Canada for true freedom, defying laws that considered slaves property. Would happen during the night by following the North Star and most went to free North countries but also Mexico and the Caribbean

The influence of photography

allowing leaders like Frederick Douglass and communities to actively counter racist caricatures by controlling their own image, showcasing dignity, family, and success, and building self-identity through studio portraits

The purpose of slave narrators

to expose the brutal reality of slavery, humanize Black people for white audiences, fuel the abolitionist movement, and assert their own humanity and agency through firsthand accounts, challenging myths about Black inferiority and advocating for freedom and civil rights

Free Black communities in the North

ormed resilient centers of culture and resistance, growing significantly after the North's gradual abolition of slavery, establishing churches, schools, businesses, and all-Black towns (like Weeksville, NY; Tumbuctoo, NJ; Lyles Station, IN) where they built land, achieved economic stability, and navigated evolving, often restrictive, legal landscapes to assert citizenship

Black Soldier in the Civil War

faced racism and inequality within the Union Army, facing lower pay, inferior equipment, segregated units, and the threat of enslavement or execution if captured, yet proving immense bravery and earning the right to citizenship through distinguished service in major campaigns

Juneteenth

celebrates the end of slavery in the U.S., marking when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865, to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation and free over 250,000 enslaved African Americans, two years after the proclamation

General Order #3

declared that all enslaved people in Texas were free, fulfilling the Emancipation Proclamation and marking the end of slavery in the state, an event now celebrated as Juneteenth