AP African American Studies - Vocabulary Flashcards

Flashcards for reviewing key vocabulary terms from the AP African American Studies lecture notes.

Bantu Expansion

Expansion of Bantu-speaking peoples from West and Central Africa to Southern Africa, facilitated by iron tools and agriculture.

Sudanic Empires

West African empires that controlled gold and trans-Saharan trade routes.

Swahili Coast

East African trade network connected to Indian Ocean commerce.

Great Zimbabwe

South African trade hub for gold, ivory, and cattle that traded with Swahili merchants.

Kingdom of Kongo

African kingdom that adopted Christianity and allied with Portugal, leading to involvement in the slave trade.

Plantation Slavery Model

Model of slavery established by the Portuguese in their Atlantic colonies.

Transatlantic Slave Trade

Forced transportation of approximately 12.5 million Africans to the Americas.

Middle Passage

The voyage across the Atlantic Ocean that formed the second leg of the triangular trade.

Maroons

Communities of self-liberated formerly enslaved people.

Black Seminoles

People of mixed African and Seminole heritage who allied with the Seminole Indians.

Underground Railroad

A network of secret routes and safe houses used by enslaved people to escape to freedom in the North.

Partus sequitur ventrem

The status of a child follows that of the mother, perpetuating racial slavery.

Hypodescent

The practice of assigning a mixed-race person to the racial group considered socially subordinate.

Griots

Oral historians and storytellers in West Africa who preserved history and traditions.

Gullah

A language that developed in the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia, blending English and West African languages.

SFSU Black Student Strike (1968)

The first Black Studies program, established after a five-month student strike.

Syncretic Religions

Religious blending of indigenous beliefs with Christianity or Islam, providing a means of cultural preservation.

Ladinos

Enslaved Africans who were multilingual and served as intermediaries during exploration and colonization.

Stono Rebellion (1739)

The largest slave uprising in colonial America, which led to the implementation of the South Carolina Slave Code of 1740.

Great Migration (1910s-1970s)

Migration of approximately 6 million Black Southerners to the North, Midwest, and West for economic opportunities and to escape racial violence.

National Urban League (1910)

Organization that helped African American migrants with housing, jobs, and education.

Double consciousness

Experiencing both Black and American identities, leading to internal conflict

13th Amendment (1865)

Legislation that freed enslaved people after the Civil War.

14th Amendment (1868)

Granted citizenship to former slaves.

15th Amendment (1870)

Granted Black men the right to vote.

Freedmen's Bureau (1865-1872)

A U.S. agency that assisted formerly enslaved people by providing food, housing, and education during the Reconstruction Era.

Black Codes (1865-1866)

Laws passed in the South to restrict the rights of freed Black people such as curfews and vagrancy laws.

Convict Leasing

Leasing out prisoners (mostly Black) to private industries under brutal conditions.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

A Supreme Court decision that legalized "separate but equal" facilities, entrenching racial segregation.

Double V Campaign (1942-1945)

A campaign to advocate victory over fascism abroad and racial inequality at home.

Brown v. Board (1954)

Landmark Supreme Court case declaring state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional.

Voting Rights Act (1965)

Outlawed discriminatory voting practices in the South.

Black Power Movement (1960s-1970s)

A movement from the 1960-70s which advocated for racial pride, economic independence, and defense of Black communities.

Afrofuturism

Reimagines Black past & future →Sun Ra, Octavia Butler, Black Panther →technology as liberation