History of Slavery in the US
Who were the first slaves in the US?
Native Americans
What percent of slaves died on the Middle Passage?
about 15%
True or False: The Underground Railroad was a series of underground passageways that escaping slaves used to get to freedom in Canada.
False: The word "Underground" refers to the fact that the system was secret. "Railroad" refers to the train lingo that was used as a code to talk about it.
What is abolition?
The fight against slavery (the fight to abolish - or get rid of completely- the institution of slavery).
The Emancipation Proclamation made slavery illegal in the United States.
Sojourner Truth's birth name was Isabella Baumfree.
Frederick Douglass was the first African-American to meet with the President of the US in the White House.
Lie- The Emancipation Proclamation made slavery illegal in the US.
Actually, the Emancipation Proclamation set the slaves free. Slavery was outlawed by the 13th Amendment in 1869.
In what century did Africans first become slaves in the US?
17th century, or 1600s
What atrocities did slaves in the 1700s and 1800s face? Name two.
Families could be split up and sold to different masters. Slaves were sold and kept like cattle or other farm animals. They were not allowed to name their own children. They could be killed, whipped, or beaten by their masters for any reason. They were not allowed to marry or were forced to marry people they didn't know or love. They were forbidden to learn to read or write.
The person who guided runaway slaves from hiding place to hiding place along the route was called a
conductor
What were the main weapons of abolitionists?
Writing and speaking out against slavery
Sojourner Truth spoke out against slavery and for women's rights.
Frederick Douglass spoke out against slavery and for women's rights.
Harriet Tubman spoke out against slavery and for women's rights.
Lie - Harriet Tubman spoke out against slavery and for women's rights.
Actually, unlike Sojourner Turth and Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman did not speek publicly. Her contribution to history was as the most famous and successful of the Underground Railroad conductors and leading slaves to freedom.
Name 3 types of Southern plantations that used slaves.
sugar, cotton, indigo, rice
What important law was passed in 1808?
No one was allowed to bring anymore slaves from Africa.
A person who allowed runaway slaves to stay in their home and fed them when they stopped for rest along the way was known as a
station master
Who was William Lloyd Garrison?
A white journalist who published the abolitionist newspaper, "The Liberator".
Harriet Tubman escaped slavery.
Frederick Douglass was born a free black man.
Sojourner Truth escaped slavery.
Lie - Frederick Douglass was born a free man.
Actually, Frederick Douglass was born to a slave and eventually escaped by disguising himself as a sailor and getting passage on a ship.
The name for the cycle of exchanging resources for finished products for slaves for labor to create resources, and so on...
The Triangular Trade
How was slavery made "hereditary"?
The children of slaves were born slaves, so a baby born of slave parents was his or her owner's property.
True or False: Some slaves used the underground railroad to escape further south
True. Some slaves did escape to thew Caribbean and South America where slavery was already outlawed. Most, however, fled north to free states or to Canada, or out west.
What religious group was known for their abolitionist beliefs?
The Quakers
Before 1863, it was illegal to teach slaves to read and write.
Before 1863, it was illegal to capture and return an escaped slave from a free state to his/her owner in a slave state.
Before 1863, it was lilegal for a slave to visit the home of a white person or a free black person.
Lie- Before 1863, it was illegal to capture and return an escaped slave from a free state to his/her owner in a slave state.
Actually, Fugitive Slave Laws allowed escaped slaves to be captured and harmed in the effort to return them to their "rightful owner". These laws often led to the capture of free men to be turned into slaves.
The sea route between Africa and North America and the Caribbean was called
The Middle Passage
What was the Emancipation Proclamation? Tell in "who did what for what purpose when" form.
Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation to free the slaves in 1863.
Who was William Still?
He was a station master that recorded the stories of hundreds of runaway slaves as they passed through his home on their way to freedom.
What happened at Harper's Ferry, and how did it effect the Abolitionist Movement?
John Brown was caught and hanged for his attempt to steal arms from an ammunition depot and arm the slaves so they could revolt. All of his sons were killed in the attempt. This rallied the abolitionists and increased their numbers.
Frederick Douglass wrote a book that opened the eyes to White Americans for the first time to the horrors of slavery and the humanity of Black Americans.
Sojourner Truth never learned to read or write.
Dred Scott was found guilty of escaping and was hanged.
Lie - Dred Scott was found guilty of escaping and was hanged.
Actually, Dred Scott was permitted to argue his case in front of the US Supreme Court-- unheard of for a former slave. He did lose his case, however, and was returned to his new slave master.