Freedom On My Mind VOCAB

invisible church CH.5

A term used to describe groups of African American slaves who met in secret for Christian worship

abroad marriages CH.5

Marriages between slaves who belonged to different owners and lived on different plantations

fugitive slave clause CH.4

(135): The constitutional clause permitting slave owners of any state to retrieve their fugitive slaves from any other state.

Louisiana Purchase (1803) CH.4

(141): The federal government's purchase of Louisiana from France, which doubled the size of the United States and fostered the spread of slavery

living out CH.4

(144): The practice of allowing slaves who were hired out in urban areas to keep part of their wages to pay for their rented lodgings

hiring out CH.4

(144): The practice of owners contracting out their slaves to work for other employers.

black laws CH.4

(148): Laws adopted in some midwestern states requiring all free black residents to supply legal proof of their free status and post a cash bond of up to $1,000 to guarantee their good behavior

Naturalization Act of 1790 CH.4

(148): The nation's first immigration law, which instituted a two-year residency requirement for immigrants who wished to become U.S. citizens and limited naturalization to free white people.

mutual aid society CH.4

(151): An organization or voluntary association in which members agreed to assist one another in securing benefits such as insurance

Bobalition CH.4

(156): A rendition of the word abolition, based on what whites heard as a mispronunciation by blacks. It was used on broadsides and in newspapers to mock free black celebrations of abolition

colonization CH.4

(158): The idea that blacks should be sent back to Africa or moved to another territory outside the United States

personal liberty laws CH.6

(237): A series of state laws in the North aimed at preventing the return of fugitive slaves to the South.

popular sovereignty CH.6

(237): An approach to resolving the question of whether to allow slavery in new states by letting residents of the territories decide.

Fugitive Slave Act (1850) CH.6

(237): Part of the Compromise of 1850, this law strengthened federal authority over fugitive slaves.

vigilance committees CH.6

(238): Groups led by free blacks and their allies in the North to assist fugitive slaves.

civil disobedience CH.6

(238): The refusal to obey a law that one believes is unjust.

Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) CH.6

(240): A best-selling novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that portrayed the horrors of slavery, boosted the abolitionist cause, and angered the proslavery South.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) CH.6

(240): A law that allowed the residents of Kansas and Nebraska Territories to decide whether slavery should be allowed.

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) CH.6

(243, A-24): The controversial U.S. Supreme Court decision ruling that Scott, a slave, was not entitled to sue in the Missouri courts and was not free even though he had been taken into a free territory; that no person of African descent could be a citizen; that slaves were property; and that Congress had no authority to regulate slavery in the territories.

black nationalism CH.6

(244, 529): A diffuse ideology founded on the idea that black people constituted a nation within a nation. It fostered black pride and encouraged black people to control the economy of their communities

John Brown's raid (1859) CH.6

(245): An unsuccessful attempt by the white abolitionist John Brown to seize the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, and incite a slave insurrection.

Northwest Ordinance (1787) CH.4

(pg 134): An act of the Confederation Congress organizing the region known as the Old Northwest, which included U.S. territories north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River. Slavery was banned in these territories.

Somerset case (1772) CH.3

A British legal case that freed an American slave named James Somerset and inspired other slaves to sue for their freedom

Second Great Awakening CH.5

A Christian revival movement that took place during the first half of the nineteenth century

American Missionary Association CH.6

A Protestant missionary organization resulting from the merger of black and white missionary societies in 1846 to promote abolition and black education.

tight packing CH. 1

Crowding the human cargo carried on slave ships to maximize profits. By contrast, "loose packing" involved carrying fewer slaves in better conditions in an effort to keep mortality rates low

southern strategy CH.3

1. An unsuccessful British military plan, adopted in late 1778, that was designed to defeat the patriots by recapturing the American South. 2. Policies adopted by President Richard Nixon in 1969 aimed at moving southern whites, who were traditionally Democrats, into the Republican Party.

Compromise of 1850 CH.6

A compromise aimed at reducing sectional tensions by admitting California as a free state; permitting the question of slavery to be settled by popular sovereignty in New Mexico and Utah Territories; abolishing the slave trade in the District of Columbia; resolving the Texas debt issue; and enacting a new fugitive slave law.

Three-Fifths Compromise (135) CH.4

A compromise between the northern and southern states, reached during the Constitutional Convention, establishing that three-fifths of each state's slave population would be counted in determining federal taxes and representation in the House of Representatives

Wilmot Proviso (1846) CH.6

A controversial congressional proposal that sought to prohibit slavery in the new territories gained as a result of the Mexican-American War. Although it did not pass the Senate, it sparked angry debate between the North and South.

Gullah CH.3

A creole language composed of a blend of West African languages and English

diaspora CH. 1

A dispersion of people from their homeland - describes the mass movement of Africans and their descendants to the Americas during slave trade

Lord Dunmore's Proclamation (1775) CH.3

A document issued by Virginia's royal governor John Murray, the Earl of Dunmore, in November 1775, offering freedom to "rebel" colonists' slaves who joined his forces

habeas corpus CH.3

A feature of English common law that protects prisoners from being detained without trial. Translated literally, the Latin phrase means "you should have the body."

lying out CH.5

A form of resistance in which slaves hid near their home plantations, often to escape undesirable work assignments or abusive treatment by their owners

Elmina Castle CH. 1

A fortress in present-day Ghana, built by the Portuguese as a trading post in 1482 and used as a major slave trading center by the Dutch from 1637 to 1814

coffle CH. 1

A group of animals, prisoners, or slaves chained together in a line

Creole CH.2

A language that originated as a combination of other languages - can also refer to people who are racially or culturally mixed

abolitionist movement CH.6

A loose coalition of organizations with black and white members that worked in various ways to end slavery immediately

Quaker CH.2

A member of the Religious Society of Friends, a pacifist Protestant sect known for its commitment to social justice

Great Awakening CH.3

A multi-denominational series of evangelical revivals that took place in North America between the 1730s and 1780s

Underground Railroad CH.5

A network of antislavery activists who helped fugitive slaves escape to the North and Canada

moral suasion CH.6

A primary strategy in the abolitionist movement that relied on vigorous appeals to the nation's moral and Christian conscience

political action CH.6

A primary strategy in the abolitionist movement that relied on working through political channels to force changes in the law and political practices

ring shout CH.5

A religious ritual developed by slaves in the West Indies and North America that involved forming a circle and shuffling counterclockwise while singing and praying

gag rule CH.5

A series of congressional resolutions passed by the House of Representatives between 1836 and 1840 that tabled, without discussion, petitions regarding slavery; the gag rule was instituted to silence dissent over slavery. It was repealed in 1844

black convention movement CH.6

A series of national, regional, and local conventions, starting in 1830, where black leaders addressed the concerns of free and enslaved blacks

Stono Rebellion (1739) CH.2

A slave rebellion that took Place near South Carolina's Stono River -led by slaves who hoped to find freedom in Spanish Florida - rebels killed 20 whites before they were captured & subdued

truant CH.5

A slave who ran away for a limited period of time to visit loved ones; attend religious meetings or other social events; or escape punishment, abusive treatment, or undesirable work assignments

North Star CH.5

A star, also known as Polaris, that always points north and was used by escaped slaves to navigate their way to freedom

Half-freedom CH.2

A status allotted primarily to Dutch-owned slaves who helped defend New Netherland against Indian attacks. Half-Freedom liberated adult slaves but not their children.

Task system CH.2

A system of slave labor in which enslaved workers were assigned daily tasks & permitted to work unsupervised as long as they completed their tasks

bozales CH. 1

A term used by the Spanish for recently imported African captives

Guanches CH. 1

Aboriginal (indigenous) inhabitants of the Canary Islands

Amistad Case CH.5

An 1839 slave insurrection aboard the Amistad, a Spanish ship, in international waters near Cuba. The case became a widely publicized abolitionist cause and ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which freed the rebels in 1841

Creole insurrection CH.5

An 1841 slave insurrection aboard the Creole, a ship carrying 135 slaves from Hampton Roads, Virginia, to New Orleans, Louisiana

Indian Removal Act 1830 CH.5

An act signed into law by President Andrew Jackson forcing Indians living east of the Mississippi River to relocate to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma)

Missouri Compromise 1820 CH.5

An agreement balancing the admission of Missouri as a slave state with the admission of Maine as a free state and prohibiting slavery north of latitude 36°30′ in any state except Missouri

Negro Election Day CH.3

An annual New England celebration in which black communities elected their own kings and governors in elaborate ceremonies that included royal processions, political parades, and inaugural parties.

barracoons CH. 1

Barracks or sheds where some slaves were confined before boarding the slave ships

loyalists CH.3

Colonists who remained loyal to Britain during the American Revolution

Taino Indians CH. 1

Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean Islands

bilboes CH. 1

Iron hand and leg cuffs used to shackle slaves

ladinos CH. 1

Latinized blacks who were born or raised in Spain, Portugal, or these nations' Atlantic or American colonies and who spoke fluent Spanish or Portuguese.

freedom suits CH.3

Legal actions by which slaves sought to achieve freedom in British and American courts

fictive kin CH.5

People regarded as family even though they were not related by blood or marriage

New Lights CH.3

Protestant ministers who, during the Great Awakening, challenged traditional religious practices by delivering emotional sermons that urged listeners to repent and find salvation in Christ

Cash crops CH.2

Readily salable crops grown for commercial sale & export rather than local use

cash crops CH. 1

Readily salable crops grown for commercial sale and export rather than local use

carracks/caravels CH. 1

Small sailing ships used by the Portuguese to explore Africa and the Atlantic world. Lightweight, fast, and easy to maneuver, they generally had two, or three masts.

uplift CH.6

The idea that racial progress demands autonomous black efforts; especially seen as the responsibility of the more fortunate of the race to help lift up the less fortunate.

Code Noir CH.2

The slave code used in France's New World colonies

Triangle Trade CH. 1

The trade system that propelled the transatlantic slave trade, in which European merchants exchanged manufactured goods for enslaved Africans, whom they shipped to the Americas to exchange for New World commodities, which they then shipped back to European markets

conjure CH.3

Traditional African folk magic in which men and women called conjurers draw on the powers of the spirit world to influence human affairs

Indentured servants CH.2

White laborers who came to the English North American colonies under contract to work for a specified amount of time (usually 4-7 years)

asiento CH. 1

a contract or trade agreement created by the Spanish crown

Mulatto CH.2

a person with mixed white and African ancestry

Driver CH.2

a slave assigned to oversee the work of other slaves

Chattel slavery CH.2

a system by which slaves were considered portable property and denied all rights or legal authority over themselves or their children

Country marks CH.2

facial scars indicating particular African origins

encomienda CH. 1

labor system used by the Spanish in their colonization of the Americas. The crown granted colonists control over a specified number of Native Americans from whom they could extract labor.

Maroons CH.2

members of runaway slave communities - also known as cimarrons