All Flashcards
Define Middle Passage.
The forced voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas.
Define Abolitionism.
A movement to end slavery and the slave trade.
Define Resistance.
Acts of opposition by enslaved Africans against their captors and the system of slavery.
Define Diaspora.
The dispersion of any people from their original homeland.
Define Chattel Slavery.
A system in which enslaved people are treated as personal property of the enslaver and can be bought, sold, traded, and inherited.
Define Agency.
The capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices.
Define Galvanize.
To shock or excite (someone) into taking action.
Define Iconography.
The visual symbolic representation of an object or idea.
Define trauma.
A deeply distressing or disturbing experience.
Define repatriation.
The return of someone to their own country.
How do slave ship diagrams reflect and obscure realities?
Reflect: Showed systematic arrangement of captives, unsanitary conditions. | Obscure: Omitted anti-resistance features, underrepresented captives.
What was the La Amistad Revolt?
A revolt in 1839 where enslaved Africans took control of the ship La Amistad, leading to a Supreme Court case that granted them their freedom.
Describe the Middle Passage.
The transatlantic journey of slave ships from Africa to the Americas, characterized by brutal conditions, disease, and high mortality rates.
What was the significance of 1808?
The year the United States officially abolished the international slave trade, though illegal trafficking continued.
What was the impact of slave ship diagrams?
They served as a visual tool to expose the horrors of the Middle Passage and galvanize abolitionist movements.
What was the impact of hunger strikes on slave ships?
Hunger strikes were a form of resistance that increased costs for enslavers and demonstrated the captives' will to resist.
What was the impact of jumping overboard?
Choosing death over slavery, highlighting the desperation and resilience of enslaved people.
What was the impact of coordinated revolts?
Demonstrated unity in the face of oppression and instilled fear in the crew.
What was the impact of sabotage?
Disrupted operations and asserted agency.
What was the impact of work slowdowns and feigned illness?
Disrupted the daily routine of the ship to reclaim some control.
What was the impact of the Supreme Court granting freedom to the Amistad captives?
Exposed the cruelty of the slave trade and fueled the abolitionist movement.