All Flashcards
What are slave narratives?
Firsthand accounts of slavery's brutality.
Define physical resistance in the context of enslaved women.
Enslaved women fighting back against sexual abuse and other forms of oppression.
What is infanticide in the context of slavery?
The heartbreaking choice to kill one's child to spare them from the horrors of slavery.
What is the Underground Railroad?
A network of secret routes and safe houses used by enslaved African Americans to escape to freedom.
Define 'virtuous' as it relates to women's slave narratives.
Portraying themselves as morally pure and upright to appeal to white female readers.
Define 'pious' as it relates to women's slave narratives.
Presenting themselves as deeply religious and devout to gain sympathy.
Define 'autonomy' as it relates to men's slave narratives.
The focus on self-governance, independence, and reclaiming manhood.
What is the abolitionist movement?
A social and political movement dedicated to ending slavery.
What is intersectionality?
The interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender, creating overlapping systems of discrimination or disadvantage.
What is meant by 'sexual exploitation' in the context of slavery?
The sexual harassment, abuse, and rape of enslaved women by their owners and other white men.
What is the significance of slave narratives as a literary genre?
They provided firsthand accounts of slavery's brutality, challenged dehumanization, and fueled the abolitionist movement.
What role did spirituals play in enslaved people's lives?
They provided emotional and spiritual support, coded messages of resistance, and a sense of community.
What is the significance of African oral traditions in slave narratives?
They influenced the storytelling techniques and themes of resistance found in many narratives.
Define 'slave narrative'.
Firsthand accounts of slavery's brutality, detailing escape methods and the humanity of enslaved people.
What is meant by 'agency' in the context of enslaved people?
The capacity of enslaved people to act independently and make their own free choices, even within the constraints of slavery.
Define 'abolitionist movement'.
A social and political effort to end slavery, prominent in the 18th and 19th centuries.
What does 'intersectionality' mean?
The interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender, creating overlapping systems of discrimination.
Define 'patriarchy'.
A system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it.
Define 'virtue' in the context of 19th-century women's narratives.
Conformity to moral principles, often emphasizing purity, piety, and domesticity, used to appeal to white female readers.
Define 'emasculation' in the context of slavery.
The deprivation of manhood and power, often through denying enslaved men the ability to protect and provide for their families.
Define 'domesticity' in the context of slave narratives.
Focus on home, family, and private life, often emphasized in women's narratives to appeal to 19th-century gender norms.
What is 'sexual exploitation'?
The abuse of a position of power to take advantage of someone sexually, prevalent in the context of slavery.
Define 'resistance' in the context of slavery.
Actions taken by enslaved people to oppose or undermine the system of slavery, ranging from physical rebellion to subtle acts of defiance.