Unit 6 (Ryan) African Americans in the British New World

6. What was the difference between loose packing and tight packing philosophies?

"Loose packing" provided for fewer slaves per ship in the hopes that a greater percentage of the cargo would arrive alive. "Tight packing" captains believed that more slaves, despite higher casualties, would result in a greater profit at the trading block.

4. How did African Americans learn many elements of the English language even though African literacy was outlawed?

African Americans learned many elements of the English language out of sheer necessity. Since the planters' children were often raised by slaves, their dialects, values and customs were often transmitted back. This reflexive relationship is typical of cultural fusion throughout American history.

1. How is much of African history passed down?

African history was mainly passed down through oral tradition.

1. Did Africans who were immigrants to the British New World have a choice in their destinations?

Africans were the immigrants to the British New World that had no choice in their destinations or destinies.

2. How did Crispus Attucks achieve his liberty?

Crispus Attucks and many others achieved liberty the hard way - through a daring escape.

3. What are some different examples of slave codes?

Each colony had differing ideas about the rights of slaves, there were some common threads in slave codes across areas where slavery was common. Legally considered property, slaves were not allowed to own property of their own. They were not allowed to assemble without the presence of a white person. Slaves that lived off the plantation were subject to special curfews. Also, it was illegal to teach a slave to read or write, though Christians wanted to so that their slaves could read the Bible.

4. What was the only Southern colony to resist the onset of slavery?

Georgia, until it too succumbed to the pressures of its own citizens and repealed the ban of African slavery.

1. Who was Crispus Attucks?

He was a victim of the Boston Massacre. He was one of the relatively few African Americans to achieve freedom in colonial America.

2. What led each colony to pass laws known as slave codes?

It was the fear of rebellion that led each colony to pass a series of laws restricting slaves' behaviors. The laws were known as Slave Codes.

4. How where household slaves treated better than the slaves that worked in the fields?

Large plantations might also have household slaves. These domestic servants would make meals, tend the house, prepare for guests, and sometimes look after the master's children. Household slaves often were treated better than plantation slaves. They usually ate better and were in some cases considered part of the extended family.

3. Why where larger plantations more brutal than smaller ones?

Larger plantations were more brutal because overseers might be assigned to monitor the work. As they had little connection to the slave, they tended to treat the slaves more brutally.

3. Indentured servants could become free by fulfilling their contracts. Another way of becoming free was called Manumission. What does this term mean?

Manumission is the voluntary freeing of a slave by the master.

4. What were most slaves in West Africa captured during?

Most slaves in West Africa were captured in war.

1. What is one of the earliest examples of slave uprising? When did it occur?

One of the earliest examples of a slave uprising was in 1712 in Manhattan.

2. What poet and slave depicted slave life on the eve of the American Revolution?

Phillis Wheatley.

1. What are all hallmarks of African Civilization?

Powerful kingdoms, beautiful sculpture, complex trade, tremendous wealth, centers for advanced learning - all are hallmarks of African Civilization (on the eve of the age of exploration).

4. Why was kidnapping committed against some freed men?

Slave catchers would abduct free African Americans and force them back into slavery.

8. What happened to slaves that could not be sold?

Slaves that could not be sold were left for dead.

5. How were some slaves enabled to acquire marketable skills?

Some urban merchants and artisans employed slave labor in their shops, this helping them acquire marketable skills.

7. What was the Middle Passage?

The "Middle Passage", which brought the slaves from West Africa to the West Indies, might take three weeks. Unfavorable weather conditions could make the trip much longer.

5. Describe how close African Slaves were packed together on ships?

The captives lay down on unfinished planking with virtually no room to move or breathe. Elbows and wrists will be scraped to the bone by the motion of the rough seas. Slaves were packed extremely close to one another.

3. What was the center of African life in ancient and modern times?

The center of African life in ancient and modern times is the family.

2. What different duties did slaves have on a plantation?

The cultivation of the planter's crop was the priority. Beyond these duties, slaves might also be expected to clear land, build a fence, or perform other odd jobs as the circumstances might dictate.

2. When did the first African Americans arrive in Jamestown?

The first African Americans arrived in Jamestown in 1619.

3. What is Voodoo a merger of?

The religious beliefs of many African tribes merged with elements of Christianity to form Voodoo. Spirituals also demonstrate this merger.

4. Why did Christians not recognize marriage between slaves?

This made it easier to justify the breakup of families by selling one of its members to another owner.

2. What Ancient African University was the intellectual center of its age?

Timbuktu, arguably the world's oldest university, was the intellectual center of its age.

3. What was the first British colony to legally establish slavery? When did this occur?

Virginia was the first British colony to legally establish slavery in 1661.

1. What is Chattel Slavery? (use google)

Wikipedia: Chattel slavery, also called traditional slavery, is so named because people are treated as the chattel (personal property) of an owner and are bought and sold as if they were commodities. It is the least prevalent form of slavery in the world today.