AFRICAN-AMERICAN
HISTORY NOTES
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AFRICAN ROOTS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE
* Only 5% of the 10-11 million African slaves came to what is now the U.S.
* 95% went to tropical Americas - the Carib., Central, and South America.
* Between 20-40 million Africans were taken out of Africa.
1/3 died on the trip to the coast.
1/3 died during the Middle Passage, the voyage across the Atlantic.
1/3 survived to become slaves in the Americas.
* 95% of all slaves came from an area between - Senegal in the North, to Angola in the south, and
up to 500 miles into the interior (Lake Chad)
* 1444 - The 1st Africans are taken as slaves to Europe. (Portuguese)
* 1808 - The Transatlantic Slave trade is made illegal.
* 1865 - Slavery is abolished in the U.S.
* 1888 - The last county to abolish slavery. (Brazil)
* About 500k slaves were brought to the U.S colonies, by the Civil War (1865) there were 4
million.
* Slaves in the Carib. were expected to pay off their cost within 2 years.
* Slaves only lived between 3&5 years in the Carib.
* 3 slaves crops (chronologically)
1.sugar (for rum)
2.tobacco
3.cotton
* Triangular Trade - Raw materials from the Carib, finished goods from Europe, slaves from
Africa.
Raw materials: sugar, tabacco, cotton, wood, metal, etc.
Finished Goods: liquor, tobacco products, guns, knives, etc.
Coffles - A long line of slaves chained together, by the feet, hands, and neck.
Slaves Wars - wars started between tribes for the sole purpose of taking prisoners to sell as
slaves
Black Gold- Africans were so valuable they were called black gold.
Black Market- After1808, TA slaves trade was made illegal Africans were sold illegally
Creoles
* The first Africans Americans (creoles) were the first generation of children born in America
(after 1730's)
* By 1820 90% of slaves in America were born in America.Theirlinks to Africa and African
culture, language,and religion was very weak
* The first Africans aarrived in the colonies (VA) in (1619) as indentured servants
* An indentured servant is a person who is bound to servitude for a period of 3-7 years, after
which they would be Freedom
* Why indentured servitude ended and African slavery benained
1. Slaves were for life
2. Compete with freedind servant
3. European indentured servants could get help from home country, Africans could not
4. Runaway whites could blend in with free people
5. The supply of white ind. servants went down
6. You could enslave the childen of Aficans
7. Became a black thing.
Encomieda- The right to Indian labor
* When spanish men arrived they were given +/- 100 Indian to work, cook, clean, etc.
* Problem: Indian died quickly from disease and over work
* Bartholomew de las casas- known as the savior of the Indian. He worte a letter to the king of
Spain to help the Indians,he told the king that Indians were becoming extinct
* He suggest to the king that he look to Africa for replacement
* Within 100 years of the arrival of Europeans in 1492, 90% of the Indians were dead from
smallpox,TB, Influenza, etc.
The Middle Passage
* The 2-3 months journey between Africa and the Americas by ship. On the ship slaves were
chained by their hands and feet in a space no longer than a coffin(2'x2'). Condition on the ship
were so bad that the average mortality rate was 1/3 of the slaves,sometimes more.
* Slaves died from all kinds of disease like smallpox, malar/ influ,dysentary they also died of
starvation,malnutrition,and acts of cruelty. Many slaves committed suicide by juming overboard,
or refusing to eat, rather than submitting to slavery. slave ship could be packed in two ways
depending on the captains philosopy
* Loose pack- fewerslaves; higher survial rate
* Tight pack- More slaves; lower survival rate
* Most ship packed slaves 2 per ton (ships weigh between100-300 tons)
* Rebellion on slaves ships was common,but few were successful. The Amistad is one case.
Toussaint L'ouverture- Haitian revolutionary who fought the spanish and the French- led the
first and only successful slave revolt in history to become the first black independent country
(2nd oldest behind the U.S.A) (1776) Haiti (1791)
* African influences are strongest in places like Brazil, Jamaica, & Haiti for many reason.
1. 41/2 million slaves were brought to Brazil alone compared to 1/2 million in the U.S.A
2. Slaves did not reproduce in the Caribbean like in U.A.S (from 1/2 million.there were 4 million in
1865)
3. High mortality rate in Caribbean (3 to 5 years) needed constant replenishment from Africa
4. Sugar plantation required mostly men (back breaking labor) 3 to1( M to W)
5. Tropical disease killed a lot of slaves
6. New supply of slaves brought African culture
7. Slaves in Amercia wee born in American slaves owners for bid expression of Afican
culture.(most of the African influence was lost as generation passed and slaves became more
American than African.) 1492- Columbus reaches Americas (Bahams-San Salvador)
* Columbus becomes important because after 1492 Europeans begin to colonize the Americas (
beginning with the carib)
* Greater Antilles- Cuba, Hispaniola (Haiti &Dr) Jamaica, Puerto Rico
* 3 reasons to come to Americas (3G's)
1. Gold- to bing back to Spain
2. God- Spread Catholocism (convert indigenous people)
3. Glory- fame& fortune in Europe
Conquisladors- Conquerors - were given encomiendas to come to the Americas to live and colonize
the land.
* Sugar was the crop grown in the carib it requires 4 lot of land and labor