American Life under Slavery
What was the main crop grown on Southern plantations?
Cotton
What did enslaved people need to get married?
Their owner's permission
What was the Underground Railroad?
A secret network of routes and safe houses to help enslaved people escape to freedom
In what types of jobs did free African Americans work?
Various jobs like carpenters, tailors, shoemakers, barbers, and cooks
What religious group opposed slavery since the 1600s?
Quakers
What were enslaved people who worked in the fields called?
Field hands
What kind of stories did enslaved people tell to teach children how to survive?
Folktales like Brer Rabbit stories
Who was Harriet Tubman?
A former slave who escaped and then helped others escape through the Underground Railroad
What was one advantage free African Americans had over enslaved people?
They could keep the profits from their labor
Who started publishing the anti-slavery newspaper called the Liberator?
William Lloyd Garrison
Who supervised the work of enslaved people on plantations?
Overseers
How did music help enslaved people in their daily lives?
It helped make work tasks go more smoothly and provided comfort
What happened in Nat Turner's rebellion in 1831?
urner led a revolt in Virginia that killed more than 60 people
Who founded the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church?
Richard Allen
How did Frederick Douglass contribute to the abolition movement?
He gave speeches about his experiences as a former slave and wrote about abolition
What were the laws called that restricted the rights of enslaved people?
Slave codes
How did enslaved people maintain family bonds when separated?
They kept in touch with relatives on neighboring plantations and formed alternative family structures
How did slave codes change after slave revolts?
They became more restrictive, further limiting what enslaved people could do
What challenges did free African Americans face in both the North and South?
Discrimination, segregation, and limited rights (e.g., couldn't vote or testify in court)
What document did abolitionists often cite to argue against slavery?
The Declaration of Independence
How did the cotton industry affect both the Southern and Northern economies?
It made Southern plantation owners wealthy and boosted Northern shipping and banking industries
In what ways did enslaved people blend African and Christian traditions in their religious practices?
They combined traditional African rituals with Christian practices in their prayers, hymns, and sermons
Compare and contrast the resistance methods of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass.
Tubman focused on direct action by helping slaves escape, while Douglass used writing and speeches to fight for abolition
How did free African Americans contribute to the abolition movement?
They participated in the Underground Railroad, published anti-slavery newspapers, and gave speeches
How did Southern reactions to the abolition movement reflect growing tensions between North and South?
Southerners saw abolition as an attack on their way of life, leading to increased anger and violence towards abolitionists