AP African American Studies

Unit 1: Origins of the African Diaspora (20–25%)

What Is African American Studies?

  • Definition: An interdisciplinary field covering various domains including history, literature, art, sociology, and political science.

  • Four Themes:   - Migration & Diaspora   - Identity   - Creativity/Arts   - Resistance & Resilience

Africa Before the Slave Trade

  • Geography: Diverse climates including Sahara, savanna, and rainforest leading to varied societies and economies.

  • Bantu Migrations: Dissemination of languages, agriculture, and iron technology across sub-Saharan Africa.

  • Ancient Societies:   - Nok Culture (900 BCE–200 CE): Known for terracotta sculptures.   - Aksum: Notable for trade, coins, and early adoption of Christianity.

Key Empires

  • Ghana Empire: Had a gold-salt trade system and taxed merchants.

  • Mali Empire: Home to Mansa Musa, known for his pilgrimage to Mecca and the prosperity of Timbuktu as a learning center.

  • Songhai Empire: The largest empire in West Africa, it fell in 1591.

Griots

  • Definition: Oral historians in West Africa; they often preserved the history, such as the Sundiata epic, documenting the founding of the Mali Empire.

Culture, Trade & Leadership

  • East Africa: Great Zimbabwe is noted for its stone walls; the Swahili Coast was integral to Indian Ocean trade.

  • Kongo: Noteworthy for Nzinga Mbemba's letter to Portugal in 1526, documenting the impacts of the slave trade.

  • Queen Njinga of Ndongo-Matamba: Conducted a guerrilla war lasting 30 years against Portuguese forces.

  • Queen Idia of Benin: Renowned for the ivory mask symbolizing Black women’s power, recognized during FESTAC '77.

Religious Syncretism & Global Africans

  • Key Concept: Connect African cultural practices to their survival in the Americas; religious syncretism plays a significant role in this.

  • Important Note: Avoid portraying pre-colonial Africa as uniform; highlight the diversity in societies, religions, and political structures.

Unit 2A: Slave Trade & Enslavement (30–35%)

The Transatlantic Slave Trade

  • Juan Garrido (1538): First documented African explorer in the Americas.

  • Departure Zones: Notable regions included Senegambia, Gold Coast, Bight of Biafra, and Western Central Africa.

  • Phillis Wheatley (1773): The first published Black poet in America, known for the poem "On Being Brought from Africa".

  • Olaudah Equiano (1789): His autobiography exposed the terrible realities of the Middle Passage and slavery.

Resistance to Enslavement

  • Amistad (1839): Led by Cinqué, this revolt resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court freeing the captive individuals, representing a key abolition symbol.

Antislavery Movement

  • Early Opponents: Quakers were some of the first groups to stand against slavery; the abolition movement gained traction in the 18th and 19th centuries.

  • Domestic Slave Trade: Following the 1808 ban on the international slave trade, internal slavery trades increased significantly.

  • Nat Turner's Rebellion (1831): Marked as the deadliest slave revolt in U.S. history; it caused fear among Southern enslavers and led to stricter slave codes.

Slavery & American Law

  • Key Laws/Cases:   - Virginia Act XII (1662): Enslaved status followed the mother, establishing a racial caste system.   - Code Noir (1724): Louisiana slave code that defined enslaved persons as property.   - Three-Fifths Compromise (1787): Determined enslaved individuals were counted as three-fifths of a person for legislative representation.   - Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857): Ruled that Black people could not be citizens and had no rights under the Constitution.

Culture & Identity Under Slavery

  • Race as a Social Construct: The Virginia law created a racial hierarchy that defined people's social and legal standings based on maternal lineage.

  • Source Analysis: When reviewing slave codes, understand how laws constructed racial hierarchies and enforced power dynamics.

  • Resistance Forms: Enslaved individuals were proactive—resistance manifested culturally, legally, physically, and intellectually.

Unit 2B: Resistance & Path to Freedom

Revolts & Armed Resistance

  • Stono Rebellion (1739, SC): Around 100 enslaved individuals marched toward Spanish Florida seeking freedom.

  • Fort Mose (1738, FL): Recognized as the first free Black settlement in North America, established by the Spanish.

  • Major Revolts: Gabriel Prosser (1800), Denmark Vesey (1822), and Nat Turner (1831) led significant uprisings against enslavement.

  • Haitian Revolution (1791–1804): Led by Toussaint L'Ouverture, this was the first successful slave revolution in history.

Black Organizing & Political Thought

  • Maria Stewart (1832): The first American woman to deliver a public political speech advocating for abolition.

  • David Walker's Appeal (1829): A radical call demanding immediate abolition and resistance against slavery.

  • Henry Highland Garnet (1843): His "Address to the Slaves" urged slaves to take arms for their freedom.

  • Debate on Emigration: Stood between Martin Delany, who advocated for emigration, and Frederick Douglass, who encouraged staying and fighting against oppression.

Abolition & the Underground Railroad

  • Harriet Tubman: Led around 13 missions to free approximately 70 enslaved individuals, earning the title "Moses of her people".

  • Maroon Communities: Refers to self-liberated people primarily in Jamaica, Brazil, and among Floridian Seminoles.

  • Black Seminoles: These individuals allied with Indigenous nations to resist U.S. policies of removal.

Gender, the Civil War & Freedom

  • Mary Prince (1831) and Harriet Jacobs (1860): Both showcased the unique gendered experiences of women under slavery.

  • Civil War: Approximately 180,000 Black soldiers served in the Union Army, fighting for their freedom and citizenship rights.

  • Essay Reference (FRQ): Resistance manifested in various forms: armed revolt, legal petitions, cultural expressions, escapes, and intellectual pursuits.

  • Critical Idea: The Haitian Revolution remains the only successful slave revolution, significant to global abolition efforts.

Unit 3A: Reconstruction to Jim Crow (20–25%)

Reconstruction Amendments

  • Key Provisions:   - 13th Amendment (1865): Abolished slavery, with an exception for punishment for crimes.   - 14th Amendment (1868): Established birthright citizenship and guaranteed equal protection under the law.   - 15th Amendment (1870): Granted voting rights to Black men.

Freedmen's Bureau & Black Life

  • Freedmen's Bureau (1865): Assisted in the reunification of families, education, and labor contract negotiations for former enslaved people.

  • Black Codes: Laws that restricted land ownership and labor mobility, aimed to recreate conditions of unfree labor.

  • Sharecropping: An exploitative agricultural system that emerged post-slavery, trapping Black farmers in a cycle of debt through crop-lien laws.

Defeat of Reconstruction & Jim Crow

  • Plessy v. Ferguson (1896): Established the doctrine of "separate but equal," legally endorsing segregation.

  • Ida B. Wells-Barnett: Authored "A Red Record" (1895), documenting the history of lynching in America.

  • Red Summer (1919): A period marked by violent anti-Black riots; notably, the Tulsa Massacre (1921) which devastated the prosperous Black community known as "Black Wall Street."

Black Thought & Institution-Building

  • W.E.B. Du Bois: Authored "The Souls of Black Folk" (1903), introducing the concept of double consciousness and addressing the color line.

  • Paul Laurence Dunbar: His poem "We Wear the Mask" (1895) uses the metaphor of masks to explore hidden pain under oppression.

  • Booker T. Washington: Known for the Atlanta Compromise (1895), advocating for accommodation and vocational education.

  • Anna Julia Cooper (1892): Advocated that education for Black women was essential for racial upliftment.

  • Key Debate: Differences between Du Bois' vision (Talented Tenth—focused on liberal arts education) versus Washington's emphasis on industrial education.

  • Exam Tip: Focus on the contrast between Du Bois and Washington's ideologies as it is a frequent exam topic.

  • Critical Insight: A loophole in the 13th Amendment states "except as punishment for crime," leading to systems like convict leasing and mass incarceration.

Unit 3B: Harlem Renaissance & Migration

HBCUs & Black Education

  • Historical Background: Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) established after the Civil War, including Fisk, Tuskegee, and Howard Universities.

  • Black Greek Organizations: Notable ones include Alpha Phi Alpha (1906) and Delta Sigma Theta (1913) aimed at service and political activism.

  • Carter G. Woodson: Authored "Mis-Education of the Negro" (1933) and initiated Negro History Week.

  • A. Philip Randolph and Arturo Schomburg: Key figures in the archival recovery of Black history; Schomburg created "The Negro Digs Up His Past" (1925), highlighting the importance of documenting contributions of African Americans.

The New Negro & Harlem Renaissance

  • Alain Locke: Authored "The New Negro" (1925), a manifesto on cultural self-determination.

  • Zora Neale Hurston: Anthropologist and author celebrated for highlighting dialects and folklore of the rural Black South.

  • Langston Hughes: Prominent in expressing the need for artistic freedom in "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain" (1926).

  • James Van Der Zee: Known for his photographs that depicted the dignity of Harlem's Black community.

Contributions of Key Artists

  • Gwendolyn Bennett: Wrote "Heritage" (1922), infusing African imagery in poetry.

  • Countee Cullen: Senior work titled "Heritage" (1925), dealing with identity and connections to Africa.

  • Claude McKay: Authored the poem "If We Must Die" (1919), a call for defiance amidst oppression.

  • Duke Ellington: Jazz pioneer known for the song "It Don't Mean a Thing" which played a pivotal role in the music evolution.

  • Katherine Dunham: Introduced modern dance through productions like "Cabin in the Sky".

Great Migration, Caribbean Roots & UNIA

  • Great Migration: An estimated 6 million Black individuals migrated to northern and western states between 1910 and 1970.   - Push Factors: Enactment of Jim Crow laws.   - Pull Factors: Availability of jobs in urban areas.

  • Marcus Garvey & UNIA: Advocated for a pan-African movement with the slogan "Africa for Africans."

  • Key Concept: The Harlem Renaissance served as a dual awakening: culturally and politically, with art and literature linked to the development of the New Negro identity and pride.

  • Important Notes: The Great Migration is characterized by two distinct waves—1910–1940 (approximately 1.6 million) and 1940–1970 (estimated 5 million). Knowing the push and pull factors for both periods is critical.

Unit 4A: Civil Rights Era (20–25%)

Global Context: Négritude & Anticolonialism

  • Négritude Movement: Initiated by Aimé Césaire in "Discourse on Colonialism" (1955), focusing on the reclamation of Black identity.

  • Negrismo: A Caribbean artistic movement celebrating African heritage, exemplified by figures like Wifredo Lam in the work "The Jungle".

WWII & Double V Campaign

  • Double V Campaign: Coined by the Pittsburgh Courier in 1942, focused on achieving victory over fascism abroad and racism at home.

  • 6888th Battalion: An all-Black, all-female U.S. Army unit was an essential part of WWII.

  • Tuskegee Airmen: Renowned for their exemplary service in the U.S. Army Air Forces during WWII.

  • G.I. Bill: Noted for benefits being largely inaccessible for Black veterans due to discriminatory administration practices.

Origins of Civil Rights Movement

  • Clark Doll Test (1947): Demonstrated the psychological damage of segregation, which was cited in the Brown case.

  • Brown v. Board of Education (1954): Overturned the Plessy decision by declaring "separate but equal" as inherently unequal.

  • Redlining: The Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) maps (1937) systematically denied mortgages to Black neighborhoods, contributing to wealth disparities.

Major Civil Rights Organizations & Leaders

  • NAACP: Focused on a legal strategy culminating in the landmark Brown v. Board decision.

  • SCLC & Martin Luther King Jr.: Implemented nonviolent protests, particularly in Birmingham.

  • SNCC: Known for organizing sit-ins and Freedom Rides, and bolstering voter registration efforts.

  • John Lewis: Speeches emphasized urgency in civil rights activism; notably declared, "Revolution is at hand" (1963).

  • Women Leaders: Figures such as Ella Baker, Diane Nash, and Fannie Lou Hamer formed the backbone of organizing and activism.

Intersection of Arts & Politics

  • Charles Mingus: Produced politically charged music including the composition "Little Rock."

  • Literature and Speech: MLK's "Why We Can't Wait" articulated the moral necessity for immediate civil rights.

  • FRQ Focus: Connect the domestic civil rights movement to global anticolonial efforts as both sought self-determination.

Unit 4B: Black Power & Contemporary Culture

Black Power & Nationalism

  • Malcolm X: Promoted self-defense, Black nationalism, and separatism, particularly in his speech "Ballot or the Bullet" (1964).

  • Nation of Islam: Led by Elijah Muhammad, with Muhammad Speaks as their influential publication embedding religious nationalism.

  • Black Panther Party (1966): Advocated for armed self-defense, initiated free breakfast programs, and pursued community control in local governance.

  • Black Arts Movement: Served as the cultural arm of the Black Power movement, promoting works like Elizabeth Catlett’s "Negro es Bello II."

Identity, Feminism & Intersectionality

  • Black is Beautiful: Movement reclaiming natural hair and embracing African aesthetics, emphasizing the rise of Afrocentricity.

  • Black Feminism: Emerged through the Combahee River Collective (1977), coining the term "identity politics" to underscore intersectional oppression.

  • Womanism: A framework articulated by Alice Walker, highlighting the importance of Black women’s experiences in feminism.

  • Intersectionality: Concept developed by Kimberlé Crenshaw (1989) illustrating the interconnectedness of various forms of oppression.

Key Figures & Concepts in Intersectionality

  • Interlocking Oppression: Patricia Hill Collins discusses the interconnected systems of discrimination faced by marginalized groups.

  • Womanism and Afrocentricity: Focused discussions by notable figures such as Alice Walker and Molefi Kete Asante highlight the significance of racial identity.

Economic & Political Progress

  • Post-Voting Rights Act (1965): Marked growth in Black political representation leading to increased agency in political processes.

Evolution in Arts, Music & Contemporary Culture

  • Evolution of Music: Demonstrated through transitions from spirituals to blues, jazz, R&B, and finally hip-hop. Each genre serves as a form of resistance through cultural expression.

  • Music Timeline: This is a vital focus area for multiple-choice questions: spirituals → blues → jazz → R&B → hip-hop; understanding the context of each era is crucial.

  • Discussions: Comparing MLK and Malcolm X is nuanced; their policies and beliefs evolved, transcending simpler interpretations of nonviolence versus violence.

Exam Strategy & Cross-Cutting Themes

Exam Format

  • Sectional Breakdown:   - I: 60 Multiple Choice Questions (70 minutes) = 60%   - IB: 1 Project Validation Question (10 minutes) = 1.5%   - II: 3 Short Answer Questions (SAQs) + 1 Document-Based Question (DBQ) (85 minutes) = 30%   - Project: Teacher-scored = 8.5%

Multiple Choice Strategy

  • Testing Dynamics: Typically includes paired sources, requiring analysis of differing perspectives, purposes, or contexts.

Short Answer Questions (SAQs) & Document-Based Question (DBQ) Strategies

  • SAQs: Two questions will require analysis of sources (one text and one visual) plus one thematic concept with no source.

  • DBQ: Focuses on a single document requiring source analysis and connections to broader course content.

  • Non-source SAQ: Encouraged to provide specific examples across units, highlighting thematic connections.

  • To Note: Often, SAQ components will demand going beyond source content to relate with different themes or periods.

Cross-Cutting Themes Throughout the Course

  • Migration & Diaspora: Both forced and voluntary movements observed from the slave trade to the Great Migration and ongoing Caribbean movements.

  • Identity: Includes discussions on naming debates, double consciousness, Afrocentricity, and intersectionality in Black experiences.

  • Creativity & Arts: Exploration of various cultural expressions across eras, including spirituals, Harlem Renaissance, Black Arts Movement, hip-hop, and film.

  • Resistance & Resilience: Examined through revolts, the abolition movement, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Black Power movement, continuing into contemporary struggles.

  • Project Validation: Understanding the oral defense prompt to be answered in writing, linking multiple sources to support your claim.

  • Final Note: Avoid merely describing sources; focus on their significance and connections to broader thematic concepts.