8.1 introduction - ms. wolfe's...
TRANSCRIPT
8.1 Introduction 0 Southern colonies depended on the labor of enslaved Africans
0 Enslaved Africans had to respond to many dilemmas (when you are forced to make a decision even though you do not like the choices)
0 For hundreds of years, the slave trade forced West Africans to face life-changing dilemmas
0 In the 1400s, West African kingdoms and villages had to decide whether to trade enslaved people for European guns and goods
0 Once enslaved, Africans had to find a way to survive the voyage across the Atlantic on horrific ships (also called the Middle Passage)
0 When enslaved Africans arrived in North America, they had to respond to their new lives as slaves
The Three Dilemmas
8.2 West Africa in the 1500s
0 On the continent of Africa
0 The Sahara Desert was to the north
0 The equator was to the south
0 The Atlantic Ocean was to the west and south
0 Most of West Africa was covered by grassland or rainforest
8.2 West Africa in the 1500s 0 People of many cultures lived in West Africa
0 Many people farmed
0 Some were miners, craftspeople, or traders
0 Caravans of camels carried gold and ivory from West Africa to countries north of the Sahara Desert
0 In return, West Africans received salt, cloth (textiles), and other goods
8.2 West Africa in the 1500s 0 Society was based on family
0 Parents, grandparents, and cousins all lived in the same village
0 They owned the land together and shared their
crops
0 They worshipped the spirits of their ancestors,
singing chants and dancing to ask the spirits to
protect them
0 A common tradition was storytelling
0 Fables, legends, and myths helped people learn about their culture and history
8.2 West Africa in the 1500s
0 West Africans were different in many ways: 0 Some lived in small villages and others in large cities,
such as Timbuktu
0 Some villages and cities were part of big empires
0 They spoke many different languages and people from different villages often could not understand one another
0 Most West Africans at this time lived in freedom, but that was about to change as more European slave traders began to arrive during this century
8.3 European Slave Trade in West Africa
0 Dilemma:
0 Some people were not as free as others and were servants or workers
0 They had been captured during wars, found guilty of crimes, or were sold as slaves by West Africans to Arab traders
0 The Europeans called these people slaves, but they led a better life in West Africa than they would in North America
0 They became part of the larger family in the village
0 They didn’t have all rights, but could: 0 Own land and farm
0 Become skilled workers and earn money
0 Could gain freedom one day through work or marriage
8.3 European Slave Trade in West Africa
0 Dilemma:
0 European traders introduced a new kind of slavery
0 Plantations in the Americas needed large numbers of workers and slavery was one way to get them
0 European traders came to West Africa offering cloth (textiles), rum, tobacco, guns, and other goods in exchange for slaves
0 This changed life in West Africa because groups that traded slaves for guns could threaten its neighbors. 0 Then the neighbors wanted to own guns (for protection) so they traded
slaves for guns, too
The Slave Trade Triangle
8.4 European Slave Trade in West Africa
0 What Happened?: 0 Refuse to participate:
0 One king said that he would not let slaves be marched through his country. The Europeans tried to bribe him, but it wouldn’t work, so they got another group of West Africans to go to war against the king. Many of his people were captured and sold as slaves.
0 Capture slaves outside your community:
0 Go to war against neighboring villages. Armed with guns, they captured men, women, and children.
0 Trade people who were already slaves
0 Prisoners they had captured during wars or criminals
0 They had little choice, neighbors who traded slaves were becoming richer and more powerful and they might attack your village to capture your people to sell as slaves
8.5 The Middle Passage
0 Millions of West Africans were forced into slavery and faced along and terrible journey
0 They were chained and marched hundreds of miles to the coast
0 If they survived, they were marked with branding irons and loaded on slave ships
0 Europeans called this voyage the Middle Passage because it was the second stage
0 It took 5-12 weeks, or longer to reach the Americas
8.5 The Middle Passage
0 The trip was deadly
0 Little exercise
0 Men were chained together at the ankles and wrists
0 No space to sit or stand and were often packed so closely that they could barely move
0 Many were covered in sores from lying on the rough floorboards
0 The smell and heat were unbearable
0 Ships were crawling with lice, fleas, and rats
0 The decks were covered with blood and mucus
8.5 The Middle Passage
0 Sharks followed the ships, feeding on the dead that were thrown overboard
0 It is estimated that 10-15 million West Africans made the Middle Passage
0 Between 10-20% (1 out of every 5 to 10 slaves) died during the voyage
0 Many others wished they could die rather than suffer the voyage or the unknown life that lie ahead
8.6 The Middle Passage
0 They reacted in different ways to their situation
0 Some slaves tried to kill themselves by refusing to eat or jumping off the ship
0 Captains forced their jaws open or burned their lips
0 The ship’s crew went after them in rowboats and beat them
0 Some slaves tried to revolt and attacked the crew with knives or pieces of iron and wood
0 White men had guns and other slave ships would help
0 Joseph Cinque led a successful revolt on the Amistad
0 Many slaves saved their energy and just tried to survive
0 Some were too sick to resist and others chose not to
8.7 Arrival in America
0 Upon arrival, West Africans were sold to plantation owners
0 At “scrambles,” the price for each slave was the same.
0 Slaves were kept in a large yard and buyers rushed in to grab the slaves they wanted
0 At slave auctions, the slaves stood on an auction block while buyers against each other
0 Slaves were sold one by one and were usually split apart, never to see each other again
8.7 Arrival in America
0 The first year was referred to as the “breaking in” or “seasoning” period.
0 They were given new names and shouted at by an overseer in the language they didn’t understand and given tools they had never seen before
0 If they did not understand, did not do as told, or resisted, they were whipped, burned, or even killed
8.7 Arrival in America
0 Most slaves worked in the fields for 16 hours a day planting and picking crops
0 They may have to walk for an hour to get to the fields
0 There was a short meal at noon and one in the evening at their cabins
0 Eight or more people lived on one cabin with a dirt floor
0 Their beds may just be a bundle of straw and rags for a blanket
8.8 Arrival in America
0 They reacted in different ways to their situation 0 Some slaves tried to run away
0 In 1739, a group of about 80 runaway slaves on their way to freedom were caught by white owners with guns and about 44 runaways were killed in the battle
0 Most slaves were caught and punished
0 Some slaves resisted
0 Pretend not to understand
0 Pretend to be too sick or injured to work
0 Some slaves broke tools or set buildings on fire
0 Many slaves worked hard and did what they were told in hopes of getting special privileges
8.8 Arrival in America
0 Special Privileges: 0 House servants
0 Cooks, gardeners, coachmen, and personal servants
0 Ate leftovers from the master’s table and wore the family’s old clothing
0 Skilled workers 0 Taught to be carpenters or weavers
0 Sometimes they were paid for extra work on Sundays and holidays
0 Hoped to be able to earn enough money to buy their freedom, but very few slaves became free this way